The Battle of the Exes
by eclipsed heart
Summary: Two years after Fang left, he's back, with his own flock, on Jeb's orders. Chaos ensues as Dylan fights for Max, Max wreaks havoc on Fang and his new 'girlfriend', and Fang tries to execute his own plan without revealing his ulterior motive for returning.
1. Careful What You Wish For

AN: So at the start of my last MR fic, I said it would probably be the last. Obviously, is was not, so let's just forget I said that. This story is POST-_FANG_, so I would suggest reading the book first. The flock has been staying at a safe house for the past two years with Dr. Martinez and Ella. There will be at least four OCs in this story, making up Fang's flock, and I claim them as my own creation. While this first chapter is a tad slow, I assure you that it will not all be like this.

I sincerely hope you enjoy the first chapter of...

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The Battle of the Exes

Summary: Two years after Fang left, he's back, with his own flock, on Jeb's orders. Chaos ensues, as Dylan fights for Max, Max wreaks havoc on Fang and his new 'girlfriend', and Fang attempts to execute his own plans without revealing his ulterior motive for returning.

**Chapter One: Careful What You Wish For**

The world looked so peaceful at that moment from my usual seat on the back porch. The wind played in the grass, making it dance. The trees swayed to the unheard rhythm. The sun winked at me from behind the single cloud decorating the blue sky. The breeze caressed my face and I wanted to close my eyes, but I didn't want to miss a moment of this beauty.

A butterfly sailed by on the gently moving air. I heard newborn birds chirping in their nest somewhere, waiting for their mother to come back from her flight. She landed beside me, giving me a curious look. _What are you?_ she seemed to be asking. _Friend or foe? Predator?_

I smiled at the little bird and she chirped back at me. Then she swooped into the grass and came up with a worm wriggling in her beak. I watched her soar into the tree where I'd heard the baby birds. They chirped excitedly as she gave them their meal, and I couldn't help but grin to myself. Ah, the ways of nature.

The trees, the birds, the grass, the insects, the flowers, the people even. Nature.

And then there was me. The opposite of nature.

Nature was a pure force with a will and freedom of its own. Nature couldn't be controlled or harvested, stuck in a tube and artificially recreated. No, nature could never be that. I could live forever and nature still wouldn't be that. Nature still wouldn't be me and I would still never be of nature.

When you had been taken from your mother and mutated, that wasn't nature. That was science. Of course, in this case, science was synonymous with the main cruelty of the human race.

I'd seen it my whole life: the effortless cycle of nature, and the precisely controlled nature of science. Who knows how they came up with that phrase, because the two words couldn't function together in my book.

For a moment, I wished for something I shouldn't have. I wished for someone to share it all with, but not just any someone. No, this was a very specific someone. Someone whose very name had practically become a taboo in my family.

It had been two years since I'd seen him. For a long time, I had just fallen into a painful silence, letting everything slide away from me. But lately, I'd been making my come back. I was okay. I was over it and jumping back onto my feet. I wouldn't let the circumstance hurt me. No way. That was me, trying to play it cool.

Of course, one can only pretend so much. My artfully crafted mask provided no way to disguise my true feelings from the ones who had backstage access into my thought. (Curse that little mind reader.)

But still, no one knew what was really going on in my head. I was leader again and they still followed me faithfully. After all, it was better than being bossed around by a nine-year-old mind reader. Imagine Hitler. Now, imagine him equipped with the ability to know exactly which of his citizens didn't like him. That was Angel, 'leading' the flock.

When I had regained my composure, the flock had happily let the reins fall back into my lap. And I'd gladly accepted them.

We were still six, the lucky number we'd always been. Three hormonal seventeen-year-olds, a chatty fourteen-year-old, a manic eleven-year-old, and a power-crazed nine-year-old. Of course, the dark and brooding member had been traded out for the one that looked like an angel and acted like it a lot more than the one that was named Angel.

Still. We were six.

After…my first and only ex had left, Dylan had pretty much officially joined. His flying skills had improved massively, and everyone loved having him around. Sometimes, I had even felt like I could talk to him, like I was close to him. But then I looked into his eyes, the color of the cleanest ocean, and realized that they weren't the dark, hypnotizing ones I'd always confided to.

I sighed to myself and leaned back so that I was slouching across the steps. _Wish you were here._ Those silly, cheesy words ran through my head way too much for my liking. But I guess, in a way, it was true. I did wish he was here.

And then the anger kicked in.

I would remember the words he had written in that stupid letter, the way he had dared to pull out the "L" word. And I would be angry beyond belief. In the immediate days after he had left, I had been twisting the little ring he had given me for my birthday around my finger. He'd had me wrapped around his finger. And I'd run downstairs, outside, ripped the ring from my finger, and thrown it into the backyard I was looking at now.

A couple days later I'd been crying again, finishing the last of the ice cream in my mom's freezer, and yearning for his touch. I had alternated between the episodes of rage and the episodes of the broken-hearted teenager. I had gone back out to the backyard and started combing the grass for the ring, just so that I could hold something he'd touched. I hadn't been able to find it. After a week, I'd stopped looking.

I closed my eyes for a second longer than a blink. Something smelled yummy. My stomach growled, but I hushed it. I wanted to stay just until the sun set.

I thought about Ella. She had turned sixteen a couple months ago and thrown a big party downstairs. The whole flock had been invited, but after the first fifteen minutes, I'd retreated to my room. Dylan had been getting a bit too close for comfort.

But I had stopped being afraid of closeness. After that, I just gave up caring.

Back to Ella. Ever since we'd been around with some sense of permanency, I'd seen her making googly eyes at my previously third-in-command, promoted to second. Of course, Iggy hadn't been able to see the expression on her face whenever he walked by. But he had soon picked up on the affectionate tone she often used with him. And then, just a month ago, he'd startled me by asking my permission to date her. Iggy dating my sister? Now there was weirdness for you.

I'd told him to go for it. That night, when I'd seen Ella, she'd had a spectacular glow about her, and a huge smile plastered on her face. She'd confirmed my suspicions, but asked me to not say anything; she didn't want to have to face our mom's wrath if she found out.

So no grown-ups knew about the two of them. I was amazed at the affection Iggy could show for someone he'd never seen before, for someone he had known for barely three years. But I could tell he really cared for her, and I didn't want to see them fall apart.

I flashed to Nudge. She'd also had her eyes on Iggy for a while (the ladies' bird kid, I guess), but, armed with the attention span of a squirrel, she'd strayed away from that soon enough. She was the only one of us (besides Ella) that went to a public school. That kid always wanted to learn and be around people. So she did just that.

Another step down the ladder, and you got Gazzy. He had turned into the sorta loner of the flock, always kinda distant, but still there. He made fireworks for us every holiday, while Iggy had wandered away from the pyro stuff and more towards the culinary arts, now that we actually had a decent kitchen to work with.

Angel was still the little demon she'd always been. She could often be found drawing up plans for her conquering of the world, and her accomplices (the so-called dogs called Total and Akila) were always found with her. I didn't think she'd ever change.

And then there was Dylan. I had some—okay, a _lot_—of thinking to do about him.

I wished again for the forbidden wish: the wish of his company and advice to help me. He'd have known what to do. But actually, if he was still there, I wouldn't have had to be thinking about what to do about Dylan.

But that didn't mean that I didn't want his company. Even if it was just for the briefest moment. Just _someone's_ company, someone to watch the sun go down with me.

Unfortunately, I got my wish. The back door opened, interrupting my reverie. It was Dylan. He sat down next to me, tracing my gaze.

I didn't really want company anymore.

"Dinner's ready," he whispered, as though the silence around was extremely fragile. It didn't matter though; his words still shattered the silence.

My stomach growled again. "Okay. I'll be in in a sec."

"I'll wait."

I frowned. The purpose of that message had been to send him away.

"You okay?" he asked.

I nodded without turning to look at him. "Yeah. I'm fine. Just dandy."

And I stood up and walked inside, leaving my poor suitor to watch the sunset alone.

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AN: If you've read my work before, you know that I post once a week and never more, usually Fridays, with the occasional Thursday and/or Saturday. You would also know that I live off of REVIEWs. If you didn't know that, well, now you do. Therefore, I would very much appreciate if you would take the time to write down your opinion and send it in.(: REVIEW!


	2. Knock Off a Zero

AN: To **lily1998**: Yes, Iggy is definitely my favorite character to mess with, and just my favorite character in general. He's awesome.(:

To everyone: Thank you bunches for reviewing. I'm glad you guys are liking it so far. I also hope you like this, the second chapter!

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The Battle of the Exes

Summary: Two years after Fang left, he's back, with his own flock, on Jeb's orders. Chaos ensues, as Dylan fights for Max, Max wreaks havoc on Fang and his new 'girlfriend', and Fang attempts to execute his own plans without revealing his ulterior motive for returning.

**Chapter Two: Knock Off a Zero**

Iggy and my mom made a great cooking team. Their styles perfectly complemented each other and the spawn of their "kitchen romance," as we called it, was absolutely the most delicious food in Arizona.

Tonight, they had prepared a sizzling wok of chicken fried rice, with just the right amount of soy sauce, eggs, peas, carrots, onions, spices I didn't know the names of, and rice and chicken. Iggy went around and served each of us a generous helping. When he passed by Ella, I saw him gently stroke her shoulder, when her mom wasn't looking.

Dylan came in just as Iggy was serving his plate. He sat down, looking a little gloomy. I hoped I hadn't been too mean on the porch.

Soon the sound of metal forks scraping against ceramic plates filled the air. My mom asked Ella and Nudge (or rather "Tiffany," as she went by outside of the family) how school had been. They replied with the usual "Goods" and "Fines." Apparently it had been the last of school for a while, though I rarely paid attention to which break was which and how long they each were.

It was all so quiet. No trouble, no kids kicking up tantrums, no ambushes leaping down from the ceiling.

It was too quiet.

So when there was a knock at the front door I, for one, was not surprised in the least. "I'll get it," I volunteered.

I shoved one more forkful of rice into my mouth, chewing it hastily as I walked to the entryway. I tried not to grimace when I heard Dylan's chair move, too, and he followed me.

I swallowed the last of my rice and opened the door. I almost closed it again, but that wouldn't stop the bad news. It was Jeb, and Jeb always brought bad news. With a sigh of defeat, I opened the door wider, revealing Dylan and a path for Jeb to enter the house.

My mom stood up the minute she saw him. "Hello, Jeb," she said pleasantly.

I didn't even bother to refrain from rolling my eyes. Grown-ups…

"Hello, Valencia."

I sat back down at the table, determined to finish my meal. My mother narrowed her eyes at me, displeased with my rudeness. I just smirked when she wasn't looking.

"Sit down," she offered, pulling out the extra chair. "Would you like some rice?"

Jeb turned down both. "No, I'm sorry. I can't stay long. I just came to deliver some news."

"Oh?" my mom replied.

"Yeah, uh…" He looked at our crowded table, looking at each and every one of us. Half of us were staring back with rapture.

"Do you want to speak in private?" my mom asked.

"Yes, I think I would prefer that."

So she led him to her study and closed the door. Of course, that meant that seven kids and two dogs went dead silent, straining to hear scraps of their conversation.

Jeb said something right off the bat that upset my mom. She responded loud enough for us to hear:

"_WHAT_!" There was a brief pause as Jeb tried to calm her, but I got a lot of my spunk from her, so my mom just steam-rolled right over him and continued. "YOU SERIOUSLY THINK—AFTER ALL THIS TIME? YOU HAVEN'T SEEN WHAT I'VE SEEN AND I NEVER WANT TO SEE HER LIKE THAT AGAIN! IF YOU THINK I'M JUST GOING TO STAND BY AND LET THE TWO OF YOU RUIN HER LIFE _AGAIN_, THEN YOU'D BETTER THINK TWICE!"

Jeb's voice was a whisper compared to hers. I guessed he was trying to get her to speak more quietly. But she didn't listen.

"I _WON'T_ LET IT HAPPEN! IF HE SETS ONE TOENAIL OVER MY THRESHOLD, I'LL BEAT HER TO THE KILL!"

Jeb said something else. He was starting to get desperate now, his voice rising to the point where I could barely hear it. "…please consider it…probably won't be for long…him a chance…did what he had to…"

My mom had calmed herself down some at this point, but her voice was still loud enough to hear. "Fine. But the second I get a _hint_ that he's gonna pull something like that again, I'll throw him out. Understand?"

I liked how my mom seemed to have total control of the situation and of Jeb. She was the one calling the shots. If Jeb could've seen me, I would've stuck my tongue out at him.

After two more minutes of inaudible whispering, which frustrated us to no end, my parents walked out of the study. My mom wore a mask of indifference. Jeb looked like he was exhausted after having faced the wrath of Valencia Martinez.

They strode right past us and to the front door. My mother opened it and all but pushed Jeb out. Before he was even off the porch, she had slammed the door shut.

We all dropped our forks and stopped eating when she sat back down. She ate two bites then looked at us.

"What?" she challenged.

We all stuttered and picked our forks up again, muttering that it was nothing. Her eyes narrowed, but she kept eating.

Since Iggy and my mom would always be the ones to cook, that left the rest of us to alternate clean-up nights. It was, unfortunately, my night. Iggy, in his perpetual brotherly evilness, always seemed to make the big, messy stuff on my night to clean. Curse that blind bird kid.

So there I was, scrubbing that stupid wok until every grain of rice and every soy sauce stain was gone. It didn't fit in the dishwasher, which meant that I had to get dirty.

After my torture was finished, I decided to head up to the room I shared with Nudge. Half-way up the stairs, though, my mom's voice stopped me.

"Max?" she said. "Can I talk to you for a minute?"

I wanted so badly to just go to my room, but I decided I'd better go. So I climbed back down the stairs and sat by her in the living room.

"Yeah?"

She put her book aside, and that was when I knew this was serious.

"I think I should share with you what Jeb told me, Max."

I said nothing in response, waiting for her to go on.

She leaned back into the sofa, closing her eyes and massaging her forehead. "You see, he gave me some…disturbing news. He's going to bring someone else here. Well, five others actually. Another flock."

Another flock? Well this ought to be interesting.

"He said that you guys will all have to work together against…whatever's coming."

I cocked my head to the side, remembering the yelling. "What's so wrong with the other flock? Is there not enough room?"

My mom shook her head. "No, Max. It's not that. Not at all. I don't think there's anything wrong with the flock, it's just…who's leading the flock."

I knew what she was going to say before she said it, but I let her continue anyway.

"It's Fang."

That name, that _stupid_ name that had been banned from my ears nearly shattered the mask I'd so carefully constructed to hide my feelings on this subject. _Nearly_.

I managed to shrug and say, "So?"

My mother was surprised by that, her eyebrows disappearing under her bangs. "Do you mean…you don't care?"

"No. Why should I? He's just some stupid guy."

My mom blinked, trying to take in my apparently unaffected persona.

Inside, of course, I was screaming.

I mean, I was promised twenty years. Two-zero. No way around that. He promised. So why did he think he could intrude on my life just two years after aforementioned promise? I would hit him, kick him, throw him out onto the street with his stupid flock. I didn't want him here. I wanted him to disintegrate the moment he crossed the Arizona state line. He would screw everything up, he and the family that had replaced us! Stupid ex-boyfriend…

When my mom was over the initial shock, she said, "Good. I'm glad it won't bother you. You might actually even try to be friends."

"I'll see. I'll just think it over first, ya know?"

She nodded, picking up her book again. "Of course. But you'd better get thinking; he arrives tomorrow."

And so went the death of my sanity.

I was going to go crazy. All over an idiotic ex-freaking-boyfriend.

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AN: Fang enters the story (officially) next chapter, with his flock. And things start heating up right off the bat...

REVIEWS are always welcome. And I don't discriminate. REVIEW!


	3. Plastic Smiles

AN: So this is the chapter where you meet Fang and his flock. I do hope that Max's bitter opinion on the characters doesn't affect your own thoughts on them, because some of them are quite interesting. Thank you for reviewing last chapter.(: As always, it's much appreciated.

Now, ENJOY!

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The Battle of the Exes

Summary: Two years after Fang left, he's back, with his own flock, on Jeb's orders. Chaos ensues, as Dylan fights for Max, Max hates on Fang and his new 'girlfriend', and Fang attempts to execute his own plans without revealing his ulterior motive for returning.

**Chapter Three: Plastic Smiles**

I almost left that night. But instead, I went upstairs and told the other five goofballs I'd been charged with that we needed to have a flock meeting. Two minutes later, we were all packed into my room.

I cleared my throat. "Alright, guys. I've just gotten some news." Angel opened her mouth but I held up my hand. "Please, don't spoil this, Angel." She shut her mouth. "Tomorrow, we will be getting five very special visitors." I paused to let the suspense build. "Four of them we don't know. The fifth, however, the leader, is someone we are all familiar with."

I crossed my fingers, hoping that they would figure it out so that I wouldn't have to say the name. But with my luck, they just stared at me with blank, confused faces. I sighed.

"Come on, you guys. Two years isn't long enough to forget."

A light bulb seemed to go off simultaneously above all their heads. "Oh!" Gazzy said. "Do you mean Fang?"

I wanted to hug the little pyromaniac, or give him a gold sticker, or _something_ to show my gratitude. Instead, I nodded. "Yup. Bingo."

"Well why's he coming here?" Iggy asked.

"Beats me. But Jeb's involved, so it probably isn't all hunky-dory. There's bound to be a catch somewhere."

Dylan spoke up defensively. "What do you mean by that?"

My eyes flashed. "I mean that, no matter what he might say about who he is in my life, I refuse to trust him farther than I could throw him." Dylan remained silent after that. "Now, any other comments?"

Nudge's eyes blazed with a million and one questions. "He's really coming back? Oh, that's great! Do you think he'll stay this time? Do you think he's alright? I hope he decides to stay with us. Why do you think Jeb's doing this? Is he really up to no good? Or—"

"NUDGE!"

She looked at us sheepishly. "Oopsie."

"Anyone else?"

Iggy shrugged. "What's there to say? It's not like we can stop him from coming. For all we know, he doesn't even _want_ to come. So why say anything at all?"

I had to agree that he had a point. Why bad-mouth the inevitable when you already knew it would bite you in the butt?

{[(/*\)]}

The sunlight peeked through the blinds on my window. I felt the warm rays across my face, making me stir. My eyes fluttered open and my hand instinctively went up to protect them from the harsh light. I closed them and sat up, stretching my arms and wings out. I had a smile on my face…

…And then I realized what the day would bring.

I almost whacked myself over the head with something heavy just so that I could be unconscious and not have to face it, not have to face _him_.

And then Nudge crashed through the door.

"Up, Max! Get up! Your mom made pancaaaaaakes!" Nudge stretched the word _pancakes_ out like the final note of a song.

I groaned. "Fine. I'll be down in a sec."

Satisfied, Nudge smiled and closed the door. Angrily, I ripped the covers from my body and jumped down. I didn't want to care. I didn't want to have to feel anything. I wanted to be like him at that moment and not show a shred of emotion.

But I wasn't him. I never would be. So I released my anger and energy by tearing a shirt and jeans from my closet and stomping down the stairs, dressed and ready to face the hellish day.

At least Nudge had been right: the smell of pancakes and bacon wafted up to me and I took it in pleasurably. What a great start to a horrible day. I was already calling it the worst day of my life. I mean, Erasers? I could handle them, no problem. The world in jeopardy? Have no fear, Maximum Ride is here. Impending arrival of asshole ex-boyfriend? Excuse me while I scurry away.

I sat down at the table and helped myself to five pancakes, two scoops of scrambled eggs, and six strips of bacon, just to start out. Everyone else was already there, pigging out, except Ella and Iggy. Big surprise there.

I was serving my second plate when Ella skipped into the kitchen, her hair a little messy, her shirt a bit wrinkled, and her cheeks flushed. I rolled my eyes; teenagers and their hormones. Iggy walked in a minute later, in a similar condition, with a lopsided smirk on his face. I guess that's what you get out of a horny teenage guy who has just finished making out with his girlfriend.

The two of them sat down in silence, putting food on their plates, trying to lay low. My mother didn't even look up at them, too absorbed in her novel. Either she knew something was up and was determined to ignore it, or Iggy and Ella were really good at this laying low stuff.

I hoped for their sakes that it was the latter.

An hour passed with nothing: no knock on the door, no sound of wings in the backyard, no sign whatsoever of our feathery guests. Everyone was anxious, not just me. My mom kept her nose buried in her book. Iggy and Ella sat too close to each other. Dylan sat too close to me (bird boy possessiveness maybe?). Nudge was too tense to chat. Angel and Gazzy were playing Scrabble, though they kept forgetting whose turn it was. Total and Akila slept in the corner with Ella's dog Magnolia. There were no sounds, apart from the occasional turn of a page. We all knew what was coming.

That didn't mean that we didn't all jump and hit our heads on the ceiling when there was a knock at the door. After we'd recovered from our shock, we looked at each other, trying to pick someone out to go and answer the door. I glared at my mom, she glared at Ella, who glared at Iggy, who glared at Gazzy, so on and so forth. Finally, my mom sighed. "I'll get it." She bookmarked her page, and walked over to the front door. I crossed my arms and leaned back into the couch, grumbling darkly under my breath. Dylan looked at me curiously. Angel got up and went into the kitchen.

Two minutes later, Angel and my mom, tailed by Jeb, reentered the living room. Angel said, "They're gonna land in the backyard!" My mom said, "Jeb said they should be landing in a moment."

Everyone scrambled to look outside the windows to the backyard. I casually followed, trying not to appear over eager.

There were five of them, just like my mom had said. The first one to land had curly red hair that went to her shoulders and freckles decorating her face. Her wings were a spotted reddish-brown and she looked about ten.

Next up was a twelve-year-old boy with light brown hair, a wiry frame, and a knowing look in his eyes. His mahogany wings seemed to fold perfectly as he retracted them.

Then came another boy, with hair as black as midnight. No, not my stupid ex. His hair was curled tightly and this boy's skin was much too dark and he had amber eyes. In my eyes, he looked fifteen with those enormous bluish wings.

I didn't like the next one from the moment I laid eyes on her. She was a little bit younger than I was and had squinty brown eyes and inky hair. Her skin was kind of pale, with a yellowish tint to it. She was sucking on a cherry lollipop, wearing extremely short shorts with a tank top that showed too much cleavage, and she carried herself on her white wings with an air of arrogance that only I was entitled to.

And then of course there was the asshole. My ex-boyfriend. He loped down from the sky with impossible grace and landed on the grass ever so softly. His hair, darker than a black hole, covered his identical eyes. His olive skin looked just as rough as it had been when I'd last touched it, calloused and all. His lips—

Okay, never mind. I was done giving commentary on his looks.

The five of them were in the backyard, walking gracefully toward the back porch, the Asian girl with the lollipop in the lead, You-Know-Who bringing in the rear. My mom went to open the door for them. The Asian girl smiled at her, oozing charm, before walking inside. The wiry boy nodded at her before ducking past. The dark boy grinned widely, revealing stark white teeth.

The redhead bounced up to my mother and immediately introduced herself. "Hi! You must be the nice lady that's letting us stay with her. I'm Lux."

My mom smiled back, obviously liking the adorable factor of this one. "It's nice to meet you, Lux. You can call me Valencia."

Lux nodded then she bounced toward the rest of her flock.

When Fang (I decided to start using his name, just to show myself how strong I was, though I inwardly flinched every time I used it) strolled through the door, my mother's eyes hardened. "Hello, Fang," she said stiffly.

"Good to see you again, Dr. M. Thanks for letting us stay," Fang (flinch) said curtly.

My mom nodded politely, but said nothing more.

Once the door was shut, Jeb started speaking. "Okay, so now that we're all here together, I think we should start getting to know each other." He looked at my flock. "You guys already know Fang."

At that moment, the asshole looked us over. He looked at me and what I could only assume was the lack of distance between me and Dylan for a second longer than necessary. His onyx eyes showed nothing, but I could see his jaw clench under the tight skin of his face. Finally, looking at the wall behind us, he said, "Hey guys."

I wanted to punch something.

Jeb suggested the rest of us introduce ourselves. We all called off our names. When my turn came, I gave an exaggerated, fake smile. "Hi. I'm Maximum, but I go by Max. Jeb and Valencia are my parents and I'm the flock leader in these parts." My words were just dripping false sweetness.

But apparently, the Asian girl felt like challenging this. She took the lollipop out of her mouth and said, "I'm Izumi, but you guys can call me Izzy. Fang found me two years ago and we've stuck together ever since. He's my best friend." She grinned in a sickeningly sweet way that made me want to tell her where she could stick her best friend and their friendship.

After her went the wiry kid with the wise, penetrating eyes. "I'm Pepin," he said simply.

Next was the boy with the dark hair that wasn't Fang (flinch). He smiled again, as though he was trying to see how far he could stretch his lips over his teeth before they would crack. "Sheesh, why are you guys so uptight? You gotta loosen up a bit, or I might end up running off a cliff." Nudge giggled at this while the rest of us sort of stared blankly. The kid rolled his eyes. "I'm Artemis. And apparently I can't shut up."

I immediately looked to Nudge for her next reaction. Her eyes lit up, big and sparkling brown orbs. Artemis looked over at her and smiled wider, if that was even possible. They just looked at each other until the asshole cleared his throat.

Next came the little redhead, or Lux, as she'd called herself. "Hello! I already introduced myself, but I'm Lux in case you forgot." She looked like one of those old porcelain dolls, perfect pale skin, bright lips and glossy eyes, hair curled just right. Not to mention the adorable factor.

"Val and I have some things to discuss, so I guess we'll leave you all here for some bonding time. Alright?" Jeb announced as he and my mother strode away, leaving…

Leaving me with my asshole ex and his new family.

* * *

AN: So that's Fang's flock. Next chapter, Fang and Max talk for the first time in two years. And it's not very pretty.

REVIEWS are like SUMMER READING. Though you might be reluctant to do it at first, it really is beneficial.(: REVIEW!


	4. If Only Looks Could Really Kill

AN: Hey, 2sweet2B4gtn, guess what? Your wish (request?) came true, even when I didn't know it: Max doesn't start the feud. Well, not alone anyway.(X Also, Max _does_ embarrass herself in this story (more than once, I believe), but not yet. There's still plenty yet to come.

Thank you guys so much for reviewing.(: Enjoy the chapter.

* * *

The Battle of the Exes

Summary: Two years after Fang left, he's back, with his own flock, on Jeb's orders. Chaos ensues as Dylan fights for Max, Max wreaks havoc on Fang and his new 'girlfriend', and Fang attempts to execute his own plans without revealing his ulterior motive for returning.

**Chapter Four: If Only Looks Really Could Kill**

Angel floated over to Lux, grinning warmly. They hit it off right away, chatting about whatever it is kids their age would chat about.

Pepin moved to sit next to Gazzy, though I wasn't sure whether or not they were speaking.

Artemis and Nudge also partnered up, talking and talking the other's ears off. Of course, neither of them seemed to mind.

Iggy and Ella visibly relaxed when the grown-ups left the room, leaning into each other. It was a perfect Kodak picture moment.

Izumi drifted over towards Fang (flinch), their faces really close together as they spoke in voices too low for me to hear. Was it so wrong that I disliked her being that close to him?

Her eyes darted over in my direction for a brief second. Fang's (flinch) eyes followed suit. I glared in their general direction as they continued talking, presumably about me. Lovely.

Dylan waved a hand in front of my face. "Earth to Max," he called out slowly, like he was talking to someone from outer space.

I turned to look at him. "What?" I snapped.

"Are you alright? You seem distracted," he replied smoothly.

"No, ya think?"

Dylan shrugged. I hoped he was going to let it go. Of course, Dylan, being who he is, just continued. "Is Fang bugging you already?"

Now, Dylan has never been good at the whole whispering thing. So when he said that, it came out loud enough for both flocks to hear, which made everyone's heads turn to look at us.

I glowered at Dylan. "Wait to go, Sherlock," I muttered, standing up to leave. I was heading toward the stairs when Izumi blocked my path.

"You got a problem with my best friend?" she asked defiantly, putting her hand on a cocked-out hip. I did not like her one bit.

Looking her up and down, I responded, "Not as big a problem as I have with you. I think I made it clear that _I'm_ the flock leader here, not you. So if you and your 'best friend' have a problem with that, then feel free to leave. I'd be delighted to see you go." I spared a glance at Fang (flinch) to gauge his reaction. Of course, there was none to gauge.

Izumi turned to Fang. "Much as I hate to admit it, I like her idea, Fang. I say we just get out of here. We're obviously not welcome." She turned up her nose and stalked toward the backyard. I waved at her back a little too sweetly.

The asshole followed her, saying, "Izzy, I already told you that that's not going to happen. I'm sorry, okay? You're just gonna have to put up with each other." Izumi stopped walking, but I could tell she was still fuming. Then my ex turned to me. "And Max,"—I flinched for real when he said my name in that admonishing tone—"you'd better behave yourself. You don't even know them. I get that you hate my guts, but that doesn't mean you have to take it out on my flock."

I turned my chin up. I wasn't about to let this ass tell me what to do. "And what if I do, huh? What then?"

Fang (flinch) took a step forward. "Then I'll be forced to protect them, even against _you_. Lots has changed, Max. I'm not who I used to be. And I'm not going to stand by and let you ruin what I've made for myself just because you're not a part of it."

Truthfully, I wanted to burst into tears and run away from this scene faster than a bullet. But I had too much pride for that. I stood my ground. "And what about _my_ family? You tore it apart two years ago. You think I'm willing to let that happen again? To watch everyone mope around because some idiotic asshole decided to up and leave? Maybe I think you deserve to hurt like they did."

It was his turn to wince, but he quickly resurrected himself. "Hurt like they did? Or hurt like _you_ did?"

I couldn't take it anymore. I ran up to him and I slugged him, right across the jaw. "That's what you get, you jerk!" I shouted at him.

Fang (screw the flinching; I refused to show any weakness relating to this butthead) cradled his chin. Blood dripped down his neck. That had felt so incredibly _amazing_, like relieving so much pain in one shot.

And you know what? He hadn't lied about changing: Fang didn't hit me back.

Izumi rushed over to him, putting her hand on his shoulder. "Fang, are you okay? I really think we should just go."

Fang shook his head. "No. I have things I need to do. You know that."

"Well it'd be easier if I knew _what_ you need to do. I mean, is it really so important that you're gonna put up with this?"

Fang chuckled half-heartedly. "You mean Max? I put up with her for fifteen years. I think I'll last a few more weeks."

Even so, Izumi glared at me. "Just stay away from him, or I'll pound your head in."

I raised an eyebrow. "Is that a threat? Because if it is, I hope you know that that means I'll have to get you back double. Which means that I'll pound two heads in. Yours will do. I'll just get your 'best friend's' while I'm at it, too."

"Max, Izzy, just stop it, okay?" Fang said, brushing Izumi's hand away. "I'll find a bandage myself."

The moment he was gone, Izumi walked right back up to me. I cleared my throat and said, "Do you really want to try this approach again? 'Cause this is what caused all the trouble in the first place."

For the first time, I noticed that Izumi was taller than me. I guessed the shorts didn't just give the illusion of long legs; her legs really _were_ long. She took advantage of her height to make an attempt at intimidating me. It took all my nerve to keep from giggling.

"Look, I don't know what the hell your problem is, but Fang hasn't had an easy life. None of us have. We don't have parents like you do. All we have is each other. Fang has kept us together through thick and thin and I'm not about to let you screw that up."

The way she said this, the way she spoke about him…it made me realize something. I said it before I could fully think it through. "You're in love with him, aren't you?"

Izumi was (literally) taken aback by this. Her cheeks flushed to the color of Lux's hair. "Wh-what makes you say that?"

I smirked, glad to have the upper hand. "It's pretty obvious, isn't it? The way you talk about him, the way you look out for him, the way you came here because he wanted to come. But do you want to know something? One day, he's just gonna walk away. He'll leave you behind like you don't mean anything. And he'll find someone else."

"I don't believe you. Fang would never do that, he would never leave us."

"Oh? I thought that too. And look at us now."

Fang strode back into the room, a bandage on his chin. Turning to look at him, I said, calmly but venomously, "I guess you have a new girlfriend now."

He stopped dead in his tracks. "Max…" he started.

"Don't even. Why should I care? I haven't seen you in two freaking years. You shouldn't matter to me." His eyes were as emotionless as a chunk of rock. "What if I stopped caring about you? Like you stopped caring about me?"

He took a step forward. "Max—"

I backed away, putting a hand up as if to stop him. "No. I'm done listening to you. I'm through with your fake promises and your lies. You don't mean anything to me. I always wondered what would happen if I went to meet you on that cliff. Now I guess I don't have to go."

I spun around, hoping to finally, _finally_, reach the stairs. But Fang grabbed my arm.

"Max, dammit, would you stop and listen to someone for once in your life?"

"You know what? You used to be the only person I would ever listen to. _My_ best friend. I trusted you with everything. And then you walked out of my life." I shook his hand off. His touch felt like poison.

Then Dylan came forward. Great. Just fabulous! "Fang, maybe it would be best if you just leave."

I knew Fang hated Dylan; I'd read through his computer files. So when Fang gave Dylan a look that could kill, I wasn't surprised, unlike her Royal Sluttiness, Izumi. But she kind of made up for Fang's cruel gaze by drinking in every inch of Dylan eagerly. I rolled my eyes.

"And what place do you have to speak?" Fang retorted.

Unfazed, Dylan replied, "I actually care about Max, unlike you. This is going to drive her, and a number of others in this house, insane."

"Well she's just going to have to live with it. I don't intend to leave until my work here is done."

"And what is it that you need to do that's so freaking important?"

"I don't see why I should tell you. That's my business, not yours."

I hated this stupid show of macho-manliness. And I absolutely loathed it when Dylan put his arm around my shoulders. "Fine. Come on, Max. Let's just go somewhere else."

Dylan steered me away from the two flocks, who had been pretending to ignore the conflict. For some reason, I just let him. It would take me away from my asshole ex-boyfriend at least.

And I didn't look back.

* * *

AN: See? Max didn't really start the conflict. But she sure will keep feeding the conflict...

OH! Before I forget, the next chapter will be posted on Saturday the 21st of August. I will not have Internet access on Friday the 20th. Sorry for the inconvenience.

REVIEWS are like CANDY. Yummmmm... REVIEW!


	5. Alternative Sources

AN: So here is your update. Again, I apologize for the delay, but I hope you like it.(:

* * *

The Battle of the Exes

Summary: Two years after Fang left, he's back, with his own flock, on Jeb's orders. Chaos ensues as Dylan fights for Max, Max wreaks havoc on Fang and his new 'girlfriend', and Fang attempts to execute his own plans without revealing his ulterior motive for returning.

**Chapter Five: Alternative Sources**

When Max departed, there was an obvious lift in the stress around the room. Angel actually dashed up to Fang and threw her arms around his waist. Fang smiled; Angel had always been able to make him smile.

"I'm glad to have you back, Fang. And Max is, too, even if she doesn't act like it."

Izumi seemed perturbed by this statement. She didn't understand Max, and didn't like her at all. The only thing she'd been able to get from Fang and Max's argument was that maybe, just maybe, something had happened between them a long time ago. But they couldn't still be bitter about that, could they?

Fang wandered over toward Iggy, who smiled at his approach and stood. "Hey, bro. It's good to have you back. Max'll come around; don't worry about her."

Fang grinned at Ella. "Hey."

"Hi, Fang."

"Do you want to sit?" Iggy offered.

"Sure."

Guessing the two might like some degree of privacy for their conversation, Ella pecked Iggy on the cheek and went to join Nudge.

"You and Ella?" Fang asked, raising an eyebrow.

Iggy nodded, looking happier than anyone Fang had ever seen. "Yeah. I mean, she's…she's just so amazing. I would go on about her fantastic looks, but I can't really do that. Still, though. She's incredible."

"I'm happy for you, Iggy," Fang said sincerely. "I hope it works out for you guys."

Though he knew that there was no way Iggy could actually see him with his cloudy eyes, Iggy still managed to look Fang in the eye. "I hope it works out for the two of you, too, Fang."

Fang looked down, unable to meet Iggy's blindly intense gaze. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Instead of answering, Iggy fired off another question. "Why did you come back, Fang?"

"Jeb asked me to," Fang replied, giving only part of the truth.

"And you feel so passionately about helping Jeb that you're willing to undergo Max's constant abuse? No, there must be another reason."

Fang shrugged, forgetting Iggy couldn't see it. "So, I came to tie up a few loose threads while I'm at it."

Iggy smiled. "Ah. I knew it. You still have a thing for her, don't you?"

Fang didn't answer.

"You know, if you're here to fix things with her, you might want to try a bit harder. She's toughened herself up so much over the years that getting through to her is really going to be a challenge."

"I'm always up for a challenge, Iggs. Especially if the prize is Max. She's worth it."

Iggy sighed. "If you say so. But Max might not be too happy about your agenda. She might even try to stop you. And if she doesn't try to, I bet you Izumi will."

Confusion filled Fang's eyes. "Izumi? What do you mean?"

Iggy chuckled. "Dude. You are _so_ clueless. She's all over you, man. I can't even see and I could still figure that out. Max herself even accused her of being in love with you."

Fang absorbed this new information. "Maybe that's why they already hate each other."

"Yeah, probably. Girls seem to get extremely possessive when it comes to guys."

"Iggy…?" Fang couldn't help it; he had to ask. "Is anything going on between Max and Dylan?"

Iggy flat out laughed in Fang's face. "Are you seriously asking me that question?"

Fang nodded. "Yeah."

"No way, man. Not in a million years. Max wouldn't go for him, no matter how much he wants her. All he ever seems to do is annoy her. So yes, there's something going on, but all it is is a lovesick boy going after the girl he can never have because she wants someone else."

"What do you mean? Does Max have a boyfriend?"

"Nope. She probably hasn't touched a boy since you left."

Fang's eyes widened. "You mean…?"

"She's so not over you, man. She plays it like she is, but it's all a lie. She just doesn't want to look weak in front of anyone. That's why she's acting like a five-year-old in dire need of an attitude adjustment."

It didn't make much sense to Fang, but Max rarely ever did. He would just have to ride out her anger and wait for her to calm down.

Fang decided that the subject needed changing. "So tell me: how exactly did you end up with Ella?"

Iggy grinned proudly. "Well, you see, Max told me that Ella had been sweet on me for a while. But I'd never told Max that ever since we'd moved in, I'd grown pretty…fond of Ella. So I was excited when Max told me that. And I kinda wanted to do something about it.

"So a couple of weeks after Max mentioned that to me, I pulled her aside when it was her night to do the dishes. And I asked her if she would be okay with me dating her sister."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Aren't you usually supposed to ask the _parent_ for permission?" Fang interrupted, smirking.

Iggy smiled. "I know. But I thought it would be pretty awkward if I asked Dr. Martinez, especially since I live here, ya know? Besides, if Max wasn't happy with it, she would've been the one to kick my ass. So I asked Max's permission."

"Oh. I guess that makes some sort of sense."

Iggy nodded. "So Max was silent for a bit and I just waited for her to say 'no' or 'yes.' Then she just said, 'Go for it.' I seriously wanted to, like, jump up and down or something, I was so excited. I thanked her about fifty times and then I ran up the stairs to Ella's room. I knocked and went in. I could tell by the sound of her voice that Ella was happy to see me. And I walked right up to her and found her face and kissed her, real soft. She was surprised, but then I asked her if she would be my girlfriend. She said yes almost immediately. And we've been like that ever since."

Fang patted his friend's shoulder. "Nice job, Iggs."

Iggy winked. "You should follow my stellar example."

{[(/*\)]}

"You feeling better, Max?"

I really just wanted to tell Dylan to buzz off and leave me alone. But for God knows what reason, I held my tongue. I rocked back and forth on my heels, clenching and unclenching my fists, and fumed silently to myself.

Dylan started rubbing circles into my back. "It's okay. This will all be over soon."

"But not soon enough," I hissed.

He stared thoughtfully. "It must be hard for you."

"You have no idea. It feels like a walk through hell. Except I would much rather do that."

"You still care about him?"

The question was so sudden, so abrupt, that I nearly thought I was imagining it. But when I saw Dylan looking at me expectantly, waiting for an answer, I knew he had really had the gall to ask me that question. I almost socked him.

"I hate his guts," was all I said instead, trying to keep my voice level and _not_ start yelling at Dylan.

"So you don't love him anymore?"

I glared at Dylan furiously. He could be stupid, but no one was _this_ stupid. "Go away," I muttered at him.

"What?"

"Go. Away. Leave me alone."

"Max, I'm only trying to help."

"Well you're doing a fabulous job. Please continue."

Dylan opened his mouth to speak before he realized that I was being sarcastic. But he didn't let my venom stop him for long. "What's wrong, Max?"

"You want to know what's wrong?" I snapped. "What's wrong is that this asshole destroyed my life and now he's just strolled right back into the picture as though he never hurt anyone! And with him, his second-in-command the slutty Princess Izumi, the chatterbox Artemis, the watch-out-for-this-one quiet guy Pepin, and the porcelain doll Lux. One big happy family. Let's just ignore the members of his old family, who were so devastated when he left, because nobody gives a damn about them!"

Dylan looked stung. "You really feel that way, Max?"

"YES! And don't tell me that it's wrong that I do. That bastard left my family in ruins and left me to pick up the mess. Now he's back to make an even bigger mess!"

"Why do you assume that everyone was so hurt by it? Maybe the only one he really injured was you."

My mouth was open, poised to speak, but no words came out.

"I didn't care. Everyone else was okay after the initial shock passed. But you, you were the one who practically fell into depression, the one who wouldn't leave your room for days on end. You were the one who couldn't stand to hear his name, who walked away every time it sounded like he would somehow pop up into the conversation. You couldn't even properly lead the flock for a while. He left _you_ in ruins, but you couldn't even pick it all up."

I wanted so badly to hurt Dylan like he was hurting me then, with his words, with the truth. I wanted to set fire to him and watch him _burn_.

"You know what, Dylan? Why don't _you_ try to walk a mile in my shoes? I'd love to see your punk-ass try to do my job."

Dylan looked horrified at the prospect. "I didn't—"

"Think about that the next time you try to tell my how to do my job. Now get out." I dragged Dylan to his feet and shoved him out of my room, slamming the door behind him as a warning to everyone else:

Don't mess with a pissed Max.

* * *

AN: So my summer is almost over. I start my junior year on August 30th and I still have to do my summer assignment. Bleh. But, luckily for you guys, I'll still be able to update. The story is far enough along that I won't have to worry about rushing to finish chapters. Count your many blessings!

Guess what? My birthday is on Monday the 23rd.(: Feel like giving me a birthday present? Well, drop me a REVIEW. Please? REVIEW!


	6. Mr and Mrs Brightside

AN: You guys are fabulous.(: Did you know that? Well, I believe it. Which is why you have Chapter Six here. Enjoy!

* * *

The Battle of the Exes

Summary: Two years after Fang left, he's back, with his own flock, on Jeb's orders. Chaos ensues as Dylan fights for Max, Max wreaks havoc on Fang and his new 'girlfriend', and Fang attempts to execute his own plans without revealing his ulterior motive for returning.

**Chapter Six: Mr. and Mrs. Brightside**

That evening, I had finally pulled myself together enough to go downstairs. No one said anything when I entered the living room, but there was a tangible shift in the atmosphere. Izumi shot me a look that I didn't like, but I decided to rise above. So what if she had the hots for my ex? He was my _ex_.

Apparently Jeb had left during my hideaway time and my mom was in the kitchen, as I could hear from the pans clanging and smell from the scents wafting out. Dinner would be delicious.

I was going to sit by Iggy and Ella, figuring that was a safe bet, but it was far from that. Fang and Izumi were sitting close by and chatting with them. Dylan was sitting by Gazzy and his new friend Pepin, with Angel, Nudge, Lux, and Artemis a few feet away. I observed the scene for a few minutes, amused to notice that Izzy was shooting curious glances at Dylan whenever Fang wasn't paying attention. She was dirtier than I thought.

My frown dropped about ten degrees when I saw that Izumi had her fingers tangled in Fang's and her leg tossed casually over his. The little whore…

Nudge noticed me then. "Hey Max!" she called, waving me over and successfully stopping every other conversation in the room so that everyone could turn and gawk at me. Joyful. I strode over quickly, hoping that everyone would get back to their own little worlds in due time.

"Hi Nudge," I muttered as I sat down on the carpet beside her. I smiled at the other three people she was with, making it extra wide for Lux and Artemis. They actually seemed okay. Heck, maybe I would've been cool with all of the members of Fang's flock if, you know, they (or she) hadn't been our (or my) replacements (or replacement) and they weren't (or she wasn't) draping themselves (or herself) all over my ex-boyfriend, who I was completely over, if that wasn't clear to you.

Artemis and Nudge resumed their conversation at light speed. I watched Nudge as she spoke to him, a huge grin on her face. She was never that happy when she talked to any of us. Maybe because we spent half our time telling her to shut up or slow down. But Artemis…he seemed perfectly comfortable with Nudge's linguistics, and spoke ridiculously fast himself. Nudge's eyes were bigger than usual and sparkling like a kid's on Christmas. There was a little bit of color in her dark cheeks, a tinge of scarlet just on her cheekbones. She'd always been the optimist of our bunch and she'd never looked more optimistic.

As for Angel and Lux, much of their conversation was…surprisingly silent. My only guess was that Lux was also gifted in some way.

She looked straight at me and nodded, her short red curls bouncing in the air. "Yeah. I see what others are thinking, more or less."

I was impressed. Fang had managed to reassemble the flock, mind reader and all. And the two mind readers that were in front of me had probably been listening in on my whole self-pep talk. Lovely. That also meant that they knew about my whole mental conflict and inward flinching. I was going to have to talk to those two, specifically about _not_ spilling their guts to other people.

Especially Fang and his little lapdog.

I hoped they were listening to my mind at that moment.

I felt very much like I was in a fish tank. Or rather, on the outside of it. Everyone was bumbling about, having a gay old time, and there I was, sitting on the outside, just watching it all. They were in the loop. I was tangled in the rope.

After about five minutes of my reverie as an outsider, the noise in the kitchen stopped. My mother then walked out into the living room and looked at her little (ha-ha) brood of children. Ella was suddenly by my side, far from Iggy. I almost expected Izumi to disentangle herself from Fang, but she didn't budge.

My mom smiled. "Dinner's ready, kids. And don't worry, there's lots of it."

Fang was the first one up. No, I didn't know that because I was watching him. He said, "I hope your cooking's as good as I remember, Dr. Martinez," flashing her a heart-wrenching smile.

Fang's flock followed him to go eat. I hesitated, but then Iggy, being the good second-in-command that was, decided to take the lead.

Predictably, Iggy stopped before actually going into the dining room, and, making sure my mom was out of sight, he stole a kiss from Ella. It was all so sweet I nearly puked up my empty stomach. Love was so overrated.

I was the last one to the table, though my hunger wanted me to hurry. I snagged the last chair, which was, thankfully, far away from my two _favorite_ people in the world. But unfortunately, I got stuck between the two lovebirds trying to play off their feelings. And across from me…Nudge and her new best friend, Artemis. Another pair of lovey-dovey kids, but much worse: they were too enthusiastic and optimistic.

Our lovely evening meal consisted of a Mt. Everest-sized pile of mashed potatoes, about five whole chickens, and a legion of cooked green beans (leave it to my mom to sneak in something healthy). No one really talked; everyone's mouth was stuffed to the brim with my mother's delicious cooking.

When everyone had just about had their fill, my mom sent Ella to fetch the dessert: three apple pies ordered from the bakery down the way. My mom could make just about everything but pie.

Three steaming hot pies later, we were all stuffed and we began to disperse. Someone got the terrific idea to put a movie on, so everyone charged to the family room. I casually left the dining room, but not before I heard Fang say, "Thank you, Dr. Martinez. It was even _better_ than I remembered."

My mom smiled at the compliment and shooed him off to join everyone else. He passed me on his way and gave me a look, but said nothing.

By the time I entered the family room, votes were being cast as to which movie we would watch first. I paid no attention to the options and, as a result, I got stuck watching some stupid chick flick with bad actors, terrible special effects, and a horrible plotline about some dumb teenage girl falling in love with a sickly pale boy with skin problems.

Angel almost put on another movie (what I was sure was the sequel), but my mother entered the room just in time, telling us all that it was late and that we should get to bed. There were a few groans here and there, but we all made our ways to where we would be sleeping. We had to do some squishing, now that the house's kid count had very nearly doubled. Nudge, Ella, and I were sharing the room that Nudge and I normally slept in, Iggy, Dylan, and Fang were sharing Iggy and Dylan's room. Angel, Lux, and Izumi took what was normally Ella's room while Gazzy, Pepin, and Artemis slept in what was usually Angel and Gazzy's room.

We all said our goodnights, Iggy and Ella parting with arrangements to meet later on, when my mom had gone to bed. I watched everyone, preferring to not say anything. Dylan wandered up to me.

"So you feeling better?" he asked.

I turned my grin on full blast. "Why, yes. I'm feeling swellllll." I stretched out the _L_ sound in a creepy way that I only used when I was pissed. Dylan seemed to get the idea. He backed away slowly, mumbling under his breath. I went back into my "hawk-mode" and turned my head just in time to see Artemis peck Nudge's cheek. No one else seemed to be paying attention to them.

Nudge was surprised and, for once, speechless. Then she smiled with so much charm, I could practically see it oozing off her. I knew though that once the lights were out, she wouldn't shut up about him.

Izumi hung off of Fang, hugging him extra hard and for about five minutes. Fang had never been much of a hugger, I knew, but he didn't seem to mind. It infuriated me. Just before she pulled away, her face was right up close to Fang's. She looked at him expectantly, like she wanted something more than a hug. I almost laughed out loud when he just smiled uncomfortably and stepped away, walking toward the bedroom he was sleeping in.

Izumi stayed still for a moment, clearly disappointed. When she turned and happened to look my way, I smirked. Her eyes narrowed and she glared at me. I was glad I didn't have to share a room with her. I would probably end up strangling her.

On second thought, if it killed her, I wouldn't have minded sharing a room with her.

Predictably, when Ella, Nudge, and I were in our room and settling down, Nudge went on about Artemis.

"Did you notice how he talks a lot, too? Just like me? And not only that, but he actually listens! And then, out in the hallway, he kissed my cheek! He kissed me! Is this what it feels like to fall in love? It's so amazing! He's sooo cute, too! I love his hair and his hazel eyes and his smile and his humor. And I think he likes me! Do you guys think so, too? I mean, he _must_ like me. Why else would he have kissed me goodnight? Oh, and…"

I looked at Ella and rolled my eyes.

"Is she like this every night?" Ella whispered in response.

I shrugged. "Sometimes she falls straight asleep and sometimes it's worse."

Ella shuddered. "I hope I don't have to see the 'worse' part."

I chuckled. "Maybe we could request a roommate switch."

Ella's eyes lit up. "Like Iggy?"

"Do you really think our mom would let us share a room with a guy? Besides, I wouldn't let that happen because, knowing you guys, I wouldn't be able to get to sleep. You'd be kissing too loud."

Her cheeks went scarlet. "We would not!"

I raised an eyebrow in challenge. "Oh really? What time are you meeting with him?"

She said nothing in reply, instead making up the mattress on the floor that would serve as her bed. "Good night."

Nudge was still ranting about Artemis. I looked at her pointedly. "Nudge, we're all ready to go to sleep."

"Oh," she said, crawling under her covers. "Okay. G'night."

I tousled her hair and smiled. "Good night, kiddo."

* * *

AN: Bonus points for anyone who can tell me what movie Max had to watch. XD In my language, that translates to a chapter dedication.(:

Well, I start school Monday. And I still have another 4000+ words to write for my paper. So...

REVIEWS are like SUMMERS. You just want more.(x REVIEW!


	7. Frog Princes

AN: So this chapter goes out to the genius minds of:

MaxRideFreak  
hopewithgraywings  
Kit-Kat-AnGeL  
The Angel of Calamity  
cnt spel and idc  
Violetfangs  
reald3d  
uniblue  
emma  
kaykaybar24  
and feather1.  
OH! And emotionalpoemgirl.(:

Also, many thanks to Skye. Skye, there will be a bit of action later on, but not very much. As for the cursing, I apologize. I realize that this story curses quite a bit, but my justification for that is that one, Max is older and two, Fang brings out a lot of strong emotion in her, and it's not all very good. So she's angry and frustrated and while she doesn't curse on a regular basis, she is now because she's so upset. Personally, when I speak I don't curse, but I try not to let that get in the way of my characters' expressions. Again, I apologize.

BY THE BY, WE'VE BROKEN ONE HUNDRED REVIEWS! YOU GUYS ALL ROCK!

Now, I quite liked this chapter. I hope you do, too.(: BUT WAIT! This is your warning that there will be some sensuality and innuendo in this chapter, due to the resident couple. NOW, enjoy.(:

* * *

The Battle of the Exes

Summary: Two years after Fang left, he's back, with his own flock, on Jeb's orders. Chaos ensues as Dylan fights for Max, Max wreaks havoc on Fang and his new 'girlfriend', and Fang attempts to execute his own plans without revealing his ulterior motive for returning.

**Chapter Seven: Frog Princes **

I woke up at about five when I heard Ella creep back into the room after her early morning escapades with her boyfriend. I slept a few more hours after that, but then sleep wouldn't come. After about an hour or so, I just gave up on the whole thing and got up.

I went downstairs to find my mom bustling around the kitchen. The clock read 8:30. It was some sort of school break (summer, maybe?), so Ella and Nudge got to sleep late. But my mom hated it whenever any of us slept past nine.

"Oh, good, Max. You're up."

I nodded. "Yep."

"They need help down at the clinic, so I've gotta run. I hope everyone's fine with cereal. Remember to wash the dishes. Actually, maybe you should just get everyone up now."

"Okay. Have fun at work. You know, save some poor critter's life."

She laughed. "I will, Maximum. I will." She walked by me, kissing the top of my head. "You're in charge, as always. Be good. See you later."

"'Bye, Mom," I called after her. Then I climbed back up the stairs. I poked my head into each bedroom and shouted "Get up!" until everyone was sitting up and rubbing their eyes. Afterwards, I dashed back down the stairs, determined to get dibs on a bowlful of my favorite cereal.

Fifteen minutes later, people started to drift into the kitchen. Nudge grabbed a bowl for herself and the rest followed close behind. The only ones missing were, of course, Iggy and Ella.

I finished my breakfast and washed my bowl and spoon and went down the hall, intent on going to my room to get dressed. As I passed by the hall closet, I was disgusted to hear the muffled sounds of Iggy and Ella making out.

I was on the first step when the front door opened and my mom burst into the house. She looked at me and said, "I forgot my things."

I nodded knowingly at her as she went to get her vet stuff. I was about to continue on my way when I noticed that she was walking toward the hall closet…

And her hand was on the doorknob (she must have been deaf to not hear the queasy-making squishy noises on the other side of the door)…

And, in a sorry attempt to protect my little sister, I cried out, "Mom!"

But she didn't pay attention. The door was wide open and she was staring into the closet in awe. I scurried down the steps and looked on with her.

Iggy's hair had always been messy, but never as disastrously so. Ella was absolutely horrified, one of her hands on Iggy's chest, gripping the collar of his T-shirt, and the other tangled in his hair. I could see that Iggy's hands were resting on Ella's bare stomach and back, having slid under her shirt. Ella was blushing the color of the dot in the middle of the Japanese flag. Iggy may have been blind, but he wasn't stupid; he knew that they'd been caught.

For a long moment, what I was sure was an eternity and then some for the culprits, my mom didn't say anything. She just absorbed the scene before her, shaking her head back and forth.

Finally, she spoke. "Iggy, please go to your room."

Shamefully, Iggy bowed his head in embarrassment and mumbled, "Yes, ma'am." Then he darted upstairs like a dog that had just been scolded.

My mom went into full motherly-lion mode once he was gone. She glared at Ella. "Now tell me, young lady, when did you intend to tell me about this? Or were you just going to fool around behind my back for as long as you could?"

Ella stared at the floor, not bothering to smooth out her extremely wrinkled shirt. "Um…"

"What's next? Parties with tons of booze while I'm out? Getting yourself pregnant? Just because you think you can do whatever you want doesn't mean you don't have to be responsible. Messing around with that boy—"

"His name's not 'that boy'! You know who he is! And he wouldn't push me that far! He's a good man, Mom, he really is! Just because all you can see is a blind winged freak doesn't mean that's all I have to see! I've actually taken the time to get to know him and you know what? I. _Love_. Him."

My mother couldn't say anything, but by this time some people had wandered over from the kitchen to see what all the commotion was about. Dylan watched intently.

My mom massaged her temples with an exasperated sigh. "I swear, Ella, you're growing up so fast. I guess, if you really feel that way, then I can't stop you. Just please, _please_, don't make me a young grandmother. I've got enough gray hairs." She reached around Ella and picked up her bag with all her vet essentials, the very thing she'd come back for. "I'll see you guys later," she said somberly, waving to the little crowd of bird kids.

When she was gone, Ella visibly relaxed and leaned back against the doorframe, sighing deeply. "Thank God that's over," she muttered.

Iggy peered down the stairs. "I would guess it's safe for me to come down. She's not going to rip my head off the next time she sees me or anything like that, right?"

Ella laughed lightly. "No, Iggs. And don't even play dumb. I'm sure you heard every word of that."

Iggy grinned mischievously. "Yeah, okay. You caught me. So you meant what you said?"

Nodding vigorously (though the effort was wasted on Iggy's blind eyes), Ella strode over to him. "Yes. I did. I meant every single word." She slid her arms around his neck and pecked his lips. Then she glanced over her shoulder at all of us. "What're you guys still doing here? Get lost," she ordered.

Everyone slunk back into the kitchen. I brought up the rear, turning to wink at Ella before I disappeared. Before I was out of earshot, I managed to hear Ella say, "I love you, Iggy."

And Iggy, who I had never seen serious for one second in his entire life, replied in earnest, "I love you, too, Ella."

I gagged when I heard the kissing sounds. Romance was just nauseatingly adorable.

{[(/*\)]}

My mom was still gone when Dylan came up to me later. Everyone was watching another movie in the family room, but I couldn't stand it, so I escaped into the living room with a book under my arm. I'd read another six pages when Dylan walked in and sat down next to me.

"Hey, Max," he said conversationally.

"Hi," I answered, glancing up at him over the top of my book. I wished he would go back to wherever he had come from.

"What're you reading?" he persisted.

"It's called _Killing Britney_." I didn't look at him as I said this.

"By…?"

I sighed and flipped the book around to look at the morbid cover. "Sean Olin."

"Is it any good?"

"Yeah, sure."

"What's it about?"

I just wanted to swat Dylan away, like he was some annoying fly that kept buzzing in my ears. I tried to summarize the story in one breath. "Basically this girl's mom drowned years ago and then she rose to popularity and then her hockey-player boyfriend is murdered and eventually all these people that are close to her, like her dad, her best friend, and her best friend's brother, and people think someone's trying to kill her."

"Is the girl's name, by any chance, Britney?"

"Wow, aren't you a genius," I muttered sarcastically.

"Am I bugging you?" Dylan asked.

"Why on earth would you think that?"

Dylan shrugged. "I dunno. You just seem kinda irritated."

"That would be because lately I have been irritated and I probably will be irritated for a while to come," I shot back brusquely.

"So…if you're not irritated with me…can we talk?"

I could not believe that Dylan was saying this to me. I slammed my book shut and looked pointedly at him. "Fine. Talk."

Dylan grinned. "Okay. You see, Max, lately with all this stuff that's been going on—"

"What stuff?" I interrupted.

"You know, with Fang and them being here, and Iggy and Ella."

"Oh. That stuff." My objective at this point was to thwart Dylan's objective.

"Yeah, so I was thinking…do you want me to take you somewhere? So that you can get a break from all this?"

I raised my eyebrow. "Are you trying to ask me out?" So much for thwarting his objective.

Dylan's cheeks went pink. "Um, not necessarily. I mean, you don't have to call it that, but…"

"I would definitely like to get away, but you're one of the ones I would like to get away from."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, every freaking person in this house is ticking me off and stressing me out. Including you. So going somewhere would be nice, but I would go alone."

Dylan's face fell into a frown. "Oh. I see."

"Yeah. So, if you would please." I picked up my book. "I'm trying to read."

"Wait, I'm not done talking to you."

"Oh? It sure sounded to me like you were," I challenged.

Dylan sighed. "Max, can you please just listen?"

There seemed to be some possibility that I might salvage my objective. "Why?"

"What? What do you mean 'why'?"

"Exactly what it sounds like I mean. Why should I listen to you?"

"Really, Max? Are you really that desperate to try and stop me?"

I smiled viciously. "Why would you think I'm trying to stop you?"

"Because. That's in your nature."

"And who are you to determine my nature?" I asked defiantly.

"I'm not determining your nature. I've just gotten to know who you are in the time that I've been around."

"What makes you think you could ever know who I am?"

For a moment, Dylan just sat, biting his lip and staring straight ahead, like he was seriously thinking about something. "Max…you remember all that stuff about how we were made for each other?"

I opened my book like I wasn't paying him much attention. "I think," I said half-heartedly.

"Well…I think it's true."

I did not speak.

"You know that I can see things, right? Well, I can see that they were right. We are meant to be together. Forever."

I couldn't believe the cheesy turn this monologue of Dylan's had taken. I mean, _We are meant to be together? Forever?_

Yeah, in what universe? Certainly not this one.

I was so lost in my thoughts that I didn't notice how close Dylan had gotten to me during this little speech. I instinctively cringed when his turquoise eyes bore into mine.

"Don't you see? You need me, just as much as I need you."

My face contorted and I slightly lifted my book like it was a shield. "Uh…I'm not so sure about that."

"Come on, Max. No one can help you like I can, not as much as I can." Dylan placed his hands on my shoulders. "No one cares about you like I do, or as much as I do."

"Dylan—"

"I like you, Max. I really do. You're magnificent and beautiful and strong and confident. I can't imagine ever caring about someone like I care about you."

I tried to scoot away from him. "I'm sure you'll find someone someday, Dylan. But it's not me."

"Don't you care for me at all, Max? Even a bit?"

"Obviously not like you care for me."

"You don't mean that, Max. We were made for each other. Perfect other halves."

"Dylan—"

He cut me off again. I hate it when people do that. But this time, he had the gall to cut me off by occupying my lips. And I do not mean in a pleasant manner.

That's right: Dylan kissed me. His lips touched mine, gently at first, but then with eagerness. It felt like he'd been waiting to do this for a long time. I was sure he didn't have any prior experience in the field, because he bit my lower lip a little too hard, murmuring his apologies. I was sickened. I wanted to pull away, but my back was already against the couch. Dylan just kept kissing me and I watched him, my eyes wide. His soft lips moved against my firm, frozen ones. He kissed harder, trying to get me to react in a good way, but I didn't. Instead, I remembered one very useful word: _push_. So I planted my palm on Dylan's chest and pushed with all my might.

His lips were torn from mine very suddenly. I could see the hurt in his eyes as he looked at me. "I guess I didn't make myself clear enough, Dylan." I rose from the couch, grabbing my book. "I don't care for you that way. Not one bit."

As I walked away, leaving Dylan alone once again, I couldn't stop the unwanted thought from crossing my mind: _There's only one I care for_.

But I didn't care about Fang. No way, no how. He was just my stupid ex-boyfriend. And I was determined to think that that was all he'd ever be.

* * *

AN: By the way, I do not own _Killing Britney_, though I very much liked the book. I do believe that Mr. Sean Olin owns it.(:

So there was Dylan's rejection for you. Next chapter comes another rejection, which may just somehow be worse than this one.

Sadly, I am back in school. But never fear, updates will still be here! And REVIEWS are like CREDITS: They help you move on to the next level.(: REVIEW!


	8. MisTaken Mistakes

AN: Hey, Zeze? I didn't realize until I read your review that Fang wasn't actually in the previous chapter. Oopsie. But he's pretty much the star of this one, so I think that should make up for it...right?

By the way, here's your sensuality warning. But I think this one will seriously entertain you guys.(x Enjoy!

* * *

The Battle of the Exes

Summary: Two years after Fang left, he's back, with his own flock, on Jeb's orders. Chaos ensues as Dylan fights for Max, Max wreaks havoc on Fang and his new 'girlfriend', and Fang attempts to execute his own plans without revealing his ulterior motive for returning.

**Chapter Eight: Mis-Taken Mistakes**

Fang was just going to the kitchen to make some microwave popcorn, like Izumi had asked. He was starting to see what had Iggy had meant when he'd said that Izzy had a thing for him. And he couldn't exactly deny that he was attracted to her…

So he was off to make the popcorn. It was an innocent enough act. It would also give him a moment to think on how he would handle his self-assigned…mission.

But then he heard voices. He immediately recognized Max's, speaking with indifference. The other was Dylan's, and it sounded like he was defensively arguing a point that Max kept slamming down.

Though he didn't really want to be nosy, he couldn't help but try to listen a bit closer to what they were saying.

"Don't you see? You need me, just as much as I need you," he heard Dylan say, almost like it was a plea.

Max sounded rather dubious. "Uh…I'm not so sure about that."

"Come on, Max. No one can help you like I can, not as much as I can. No one cares about you like I do, or as much as I do."

That was a point Fang wanted terribly to argue, but he held his tongue and strained to hear Max's response.

"Dylan—"

"I like you, Max. I really do. You're magnificent and beautiful and strong and confident. I can't imagine ever caring about someone like I care about you." Fang knew that Max hated being interrupted, especially when she was about to tell someone off, which he was positive she had been about to do.

There was the sound of movement, like someone sliding on a couch. "I'm sure you'll find someone someday, Dylan. But it's not me."

Was that really the best she could come up with? What had happened to her fire? Fang wanted to know.

"Don't you care for me at all, Max? Even a bit?" Dylan pressed.

"Obviously not like you care for me." Fang could hear the disgust in her tone.

"You don't mean that, Max. We were made for each other. Perfect other halves."

Fang smiled. Perfect other halves. Yeah, that was why Dylan couldn't even get Max to say anything remotely warm to him.

"Dylan—" she said again, but then her voice stopped. There was silence. Fang couldn't resist poking his head in the doorway to see why the conversation had stopped.

Of course, he ended up regretting that he'd been eavesdropping. What he saw nauseated him tremendously and angered him so much more than seeing that loser Sam kiss Max back in Virginia. At least Max had kind of wanted it back then. Judging from the conversation that had just taken place, Fang knew that Max didn't want this at all.

But it was happening. Dylan had Max backed up against the couch, his hands on her shoulders, and his lips were planted on hers, like superglue. Max's eyes were wide in shock and displeasure. She winced briefly. It was a minute or two before Max got her bearings and shoved Dylan off of her.

"I guess I didn't make myself clear enough, Dylan. I don't care for you that way. Not one bit."

Fang quickly retreated as Max stormed out of the living room, spitting and wiping her mouth on her sleeve. He couldn't help but chuckle, despite his disgust at Dylan's nerve.

The bright-side: Iggy was right. What Dylan and Max had was completely one-sided. Poor Dylan…

Fang decided that he should make the popcorn before Izzy got suspicious and came after him. Fang didn't really want to be alone with her, in case she…tried anything.

His wish, however, was in vain. After the popcorn was in the microwave, Izzy bounced into the kitchen.

"Hey, stranger. What's takin' so long?"

Fang shrugged. "Took me a while to find the popcorn." He'd known exactly where it was.

Izzy nodded like she believed him. "Well you're missing an awful lot of the movie."

"Didn't really catch my eye anyway."

"What, the lead girl not hot enough for you?" Izzy said flirtatiously.

"What if I told you that it was the lead _guy_ that wasn't hot enough?"

Izumi let out a too-loud laugh. "Oh, come on, Fang. I know you don't roll that way."

"What makes you think I don't?"

Izzy scooted closer. "You and Max used to have something, didn't you? A few years back?"

Fang sighed. She'd finally figured it out. "Yeah. I guess."

"You guess?" Izzy raised her eyebrows at him. "Well, what happened?"

"Complications arose."

"And you didn't care enough to stick around?"

Fang shook his head. How long did microwave popcorn take to make, anyway? "No, it's not that."

"Well she obviously stopped caring about you. I mean, she seems to have moved on smoothly enough with that blond kid, what's-his-face." Izzy's finger traced an invisible pattern on Fang's shoulder. He stared, watching her finger move in swirls and crisscrosses. He started to feel nervous, but he also wanted to tell Izzy that that was not the case. Max had not moved on. At least, she hadn't moved on to Dylan.

"And you're over her, aren't you?"

Izumi had crept closer, standing in front of him, a bit too close for comfort. But Fang found that he couldn't move. Izumi _was_ quite pretty, beautiful even. Her lips were a startling shade of red and her eyelashes extremely defined, though she had never worn a drop of makeup. She had small brown eyes and a perfect nose. Her skin was smooth and her hair was straight and so black it looked blue in the right kind of light. She was just an inch or two shorter than him. Fang's mind flashed back to the first time he'd ever seen her. He had been in New Orleans, and he'd been wandering the late-night streets. He'd found her, huddled by a Dumpster, with her wings sticking out. He'd just had to help her.

And there she was, standing in front of him now. He wasn't sure how to answer her question. Was he over Max? No, he wasn't sure that he was. But maybe, someday, he could be. And he decided that he might as well start trying.

So Fang chose to answer Izzy's question by leaning forward and pressing his lips to hers. He felt her smile against his mouth and pulled her closer. It was a joyous sensation, feeling someone moving so perfectly with him after so long. He had never tried to kiss anyone after Max until now, and the only one he'd ever kissed before was Lissa, back in Virginia. Fang lifted his hand to cradle Izzy's face and lost himself in their kiss. Izzy's hands were on his stomach, her fingers digging into the fabric of his T-shirt. Fang let his lips move gently, but then she pushed harder. She had been craving this for so long. Fang's other hand found the small of her back and closed the last of the distance between them. Every part of them was stuck together seamlessly. The microwave announced that the popcorn was ready, but they ignored it. She kissed him deeper, trying to break down every boundary Fang had put up.

Then her lips left his and she kissed his jaw, then his neck, nibbling softly. Fang closed his eyes and then he slipped up.

"Oh, Max…" he murmured, so lost in his own mind and what was happening at that moment.

That was when Izzy stopped. She wanted to cry. She had just put herself so totally out there for this amazing guy, had had her first kiss with him, and he'd repaid her by whispering another girl's name.

Max. Izzy Just hated her even more with each passing moment.

Izzy stepped back. It felt like he'd slapped her hard across the face. With as much venom as she could conjure at the moment, she said, "Well I guess that answers my question: You're not over her."

"Iz—" Fang started, but she was already gone.

That left Fang with the popcorn and his racing thoughts.

{[(/*\)]}

Izumi stormed out of the kitchen, not noticing Dylan standing by the doorway, his eyebrows raised. He had just caught the last of Fang and Izzy's "conversation," and was bitterly impressed. How come Fang could get all the girls to throw themselves at his feet, but he had to chase after them?

Dylan knew of one way to get Max off of Fang's back though: tell her what he'd seen. Of course, he wouldn't mention whose name had fallen from Fang's lips after Izumi's tongue had slipped out.

But his plan would have to wait; Fang had just walked out of the kitchen with the popcorn and an exasperated look on his face. When he looked at Dylan, however, his face transformed into amused anger.

Fang dropped the popcorn bag and closed the distance between himself and Dylan. He roughly grabbed the collar of his shirt and shoved him into the wall, a smirk on his normally impassive face.

Though Dylan would never admit it, Fang was scaring him at that moment. Fang's dark eyes glared into his, and Dylan was sure that he was in trouble. But why?

"Hello, Dylan."

"Hi."

"So…you and Max, huh?"

Dylan blushed. So _that _was what this was about. "Uh…"

"You want her. But she doesn't want you. What will it take for that to get drilled into your thick skull?"

"Don't you think I figured that out already? I'm not as stupid as you think," Dylan said, firing up.

"Then why'd you do it? Why'd you force yourself on her?"

"Because, I thought she might change her mind."

Fang snickered. "Well, judging by her reaction, it didn't work."

Dylan winced. "You don't have to rub it in."

"And you don't have to do that to her."

"Why can't you just stop interfering in her life? Things were going smoothly before you showed up, now Max is just pissed off all the time. Don't you think you've screwed her life up enough? I've had to watch her try to be happy again after what you did, and I've only tried to make her feel better."

That hurt Fang. After all, the reason he was here…

No, Fang couldn't think about that now. He had to focus on the situation at hand.

"You can call it that, but it didn't look like that. If you insist that you've been trying to help her, then you should be able to accept that what I did two years ago wasn't what it looked like either. You of all people should know." Fang released Dylan then, picked up the popcorn from the floor, and stalked off.

Dylan decided to just let Fang's words roll off his back. Max would get over Fang someday, and Dylan would be waiting for her. One day, she would be his, when she had let go of Fang.

But still. Dylan decided that it wouldn't hurt to speed up the process.

* * *

AN: So now Dylan's gonna go be a butt. But hey, someone was rejected! And it gets to be pretty interesting from there...

Oh, someone asked about FAX for this story. I assure you, it _will_ happen, and it won't take as long as you think. The first hint of it is just a couple of chapters away.(:

REVIEWS are like the end of long waits. Like I just got _Mockingjay_ a little less than a week ago, and I'd been _dying _to read it for a year. I liked it lots. (Working on a oneshot for it, too.) Could've ended better though... ANYWAY, you guys know that I always appreciate it when you REVIEW!


	9. Turn the Other Cheek

AN: This chapter actually entertained me quite a bit. If you like seeing Max and Fang fight and bicker, I'm sure it'll entertain you, too.

I never really thought about it, but after browsing the MR archive, I found that there's lots of post-_Fang_ fics supposed to be a sort of seventh book. I guess mine is kind of like that. So, of all the stories like it, thank you for choosing to read mine.(:

Here is your language warning. Max gets (even more) pissed in this chapter. Enjoy!

* * *

The Battle of the Exes

Summary: Two years after Fang left, he's back, with his own flock, on Jeb's orders. Chaos ensues as Dylan fights for Max, Max wreaks havoc on Fang and his new 'girlfriend', and Fang attempts to execute his own plans without revealing his ulterior motive for returning.

**Chapter Nine: Turn the Other Cheek **

He didn't even knock. (Was there no privacy in this house?) That just added to my desire to throw him out of the room. If he had knocked, then I would've _politely_ asked him to leave. But just opening the door like that and busting in (I mean, I could've been half naked!), it pissed me off immediately.

"Max!" he exclaimed, a smile on his face. It made me suspect that there was something up. Something that I didn't want to know about.

I stood up and started pushing on his chest, forcing him back out the way he'd come. "I don't want to hear it, Dylan."

Dylan stopped by the doorway and closed the door. The only problem was that he was on the wrong side of it. "Just listen, Max. You won't _believe_ what I just saw."

"Nor do I care. Would you please leave?" I was barely suppressing my rage.

"No, Max, you really should know this. It's about Fang—"

"Then I _really_ don't care."

"Fang and Izumi, Max. There really_ is _something between them."

I rethought kicking Dylan out. He could give me another reason to hate the slutty little fiend. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, I saw them. In the kitchen."

"What is it you saw?" I crossed my arms, waiting for his explanation.

"Well, for one their tongues were down each other's throats. For two, their hands were everywhere. Then it started getting way more graphic and things were coming off. I was ready to puke, so I just left them to their business."

I raised a dubious eyebrow. Yet somewhere, deep within me, jealousy bubbled up. I pushed it down, determined to ignore it. "So you're telling me that he and Izumi were making out and feeling each other up in the kitchen?"

Dylan hesitated. "Uh…yeah. Yeah, that's what it looked like."

"And they still are?"

He shrugged. "I don't know. Like I said, I decided to leave."

"And why did you think I would want to know this?"

"Well…I figured if you knew that he was over and done with you—"

"That what?" That sly dog! "I would just fall into your arms and let you sweep me off my feet? Hell no!"

He looked at me sheepishly. "Maybe not that exactly…"

"Well it's not going to happen! I don't want you in that way and I never will! So why can't you just keep away from me and leave me alone?"

"Max…"

And that was when Dylan hugged me. I was enraged at the gesture and shoved him off. He slammed into the closed door, making a loud noise that shook the wall and left it vibrating for several seconds.

"Get off me!"

"Look, Max, what are you going to do? Are you just going to sit around and wait for Fang your whole life? He doesn't care about you, as you have already said! You can't just wait for him when he'll never come back."

I was seething. He had no right to speak to me like this. "Just shut up, Dylan! Shut up! I don't give a damn about him; he's nothing to me! He can go and have sex with that slut for all I care and have a dozen birdie babies!"

"Then why can't you just move on already? Why are you still holding on to him?"

"I'm not holding on to anything but a grudge! I want to see him suffer! And I want to swat that little louse of his against a wall and squish her! Is that so wrong?"

Dylan laughed blatantly. "Uh, yeah! You just said you don't give a damn, so why keep interfering in his life? So what if he has a new girlfriend? Why shouldn't you get a new boyfriend? It's been two freaking years!"

"I have my reasons! And why are you so hell-bent on being my 'new boyfriend' when I so clearly do not feel the same way about you? If and when I move on, it'll be on to somebody I actually care about!"

"'If and when'? But you said you had already moved on."

Oops. I should have remembered that my tongue gets loose when I'm angry and the truth tends to seep through.

"You know what I mean. I don't care about either of you! Got it?"

Dylan shook his head. "Geez, Max. Why is it that you're so blind to the truth? We're meant to be together. But you still care about him, more than you should."

Okay. I decided that this would end right here and right now.

"SHUT UP! I HATE YOU, DYLAN! YOU AND THAT BASTARD OF AN EX-BOYFRIEND! I HATE YOU BOTH!"

I wrenched open the bedroom door and pushed Dylan through, out into the corridor. There stood Angel, Lux, and aforementioned bastard, holding a bag of microwave popcorn in his hands, which the girls were eating out of.

"Are you guys done?" Angel asked, chomping on some more popcorn.

I narrowed my eyes. "What are you guys doing here?"

"We heard a huge bang and decided to see what was going on. Turns out it was _way_ more interesting than the movie," Lux replied, reaching her hand into the popcorn bag.

Fang said nothing, looking at his shoes.

"Angel, didn't I teach you that it's rude to eavesdrop?"

Angel smiled wickedly.

Dylan got to his feet, dusting off his pants. "I guess that means they heard your little declaration at the end there." He turned to Fang. "She hates you, man. You and me both."

At last, Fang looked up. His eyes tried to catch mine, but I turned my gaze to the ceiling. I couldn't look at him, not after knowing what he'd just been doing with Izumi.

"Yeah," he whispered hoarsely. "I heard. And I understood perfectly."

"Good," I shot at him.

"I understand that you said something to her that provoked that reaction, Dylan."

My eyes flickered over to him for a brief moment. What?

"I thought I told you to back off, Dylan. Quit forcing yourself on her."

The way he spoke, the way he was defending me, made me wonder just how much of what Dylan had said was true.

"Why do you care when you're off banging Izumi?" I asked venomously.

Fang almost dropped the popcorn. "What the hell are you talking about?"

"Dylan told me what he saw. So why'd you cut the party short just to come up here and tell him to stop doing what you've been up to all afternoon?" I couldn't believe I was practically standing up for Dylan, but I had to know that truth.

Fang glared at Dylan. "Really, man? If you think you saw something worthwhile, then you should also know this: kissing Izzy was a mistake, and I don't intend to do it again."

Dylan stared at the floor. He'd been holding something back.

"What didn't you tell me?"

"N-nothing. I told you everything that happened."

Fang turned to me. I tried not to flinch away from his penetrating gaze. "What exactly did he tell you?"

I straightened up and squared my shoulders. "The farthest he got was that clothes were coming off."

Fang's facial expression didn't change. "Really? In the kitchen? And you believed him?"

I crossed my arms across my chest. "I never said that."

I noticed Angel and Lux soaking this in with relish.

"Look, I kissed her and realized I shouldn't have. It's that simple. I basically told her so and she stormed off."

"Ah. I see. But it doesn't change the fact that you—what was the phrase?—_forced yourself on her_. You really should practice what you preach."

Fang glared at me. "You don't know what you're saying, Max."

"But don't I?" I argued. "You led her on."

"No, I didn't— I wasn't trying to. I didn't even know there was anything until a little while ago."

"Oh, I'm so sure. You seem to do this an awful lot."

"What—? What are you talking about, Max?"

"Stringing girls along. First that poor little redhead in Virginia. Now Izumi."

Fang handed the popcorn to Angel without looking and stepped forward, never releasing my gaze. "For some reason, I have a feeling that this isn't about either of them. Max."

I was taken aback. His words only further ignited my fury. "And why shouldn't it be?"

"Because. You hate Izumi, and you weren't very fond of the other girl. You've no reason to stand up for them."

UGH! This asshole knew me too well, much too well.

I took a violent step toward him. "Well maybe I'm just sick of seeing you go through girls like that!"

"I don't have what I'm looking for, okay?"

"And when have you ever? You're just so good at throwing things away, Fang!" I screamed his name out and it seemed to reverberate throughout the silence it left in the hallway. Dylan and Angel were awed, Lux was confused, and even Fang was surprised. I hadn't said his name in two years.

After the sobering silence, Fang sighed. "I know, Max. And I did have what I wanted, once. I just threw it away, as you so kindly pointed out." He looked at me and I saw feeling in his eyes.

Sorrow. Regret. And something else I couldn't place…

I steeled myself against the torrent of emotions that his show of feeling released in me. "What do you mean?"

He said the words slowly, seriously, earnestly, ignoring the others standing by. "I had you, Maximum."

There was a part of me, deep down (okay, so not _that_ deep down), that wanted to throw myself at his feet, to embrace him and hold him as I once had.

But then there was another part, a part closer to the surface of my being. And that part was angry. Angry that he thought he could come back after all this time, after _breaking my heart_, and still try to claim me as his own.

Rightfully claim me as his own.

But I still wanted to fight it.

"Well if I was what you wanted, then it sure is a damn shame you threw me away after stringing me along."

I started to walk away, expecting it to be a bagged victory. But Fang caught my arm and stopped me. His touch no longer felt like poison, but more like a wake-up call. I wanted to melt in his arms and beg him to forgive me.

But I didn't. I couldn't.

"Max, if you just give me a chance—"

I ripped away from his grasp. "That's the problem. I've already given you too many chances. I don't see what good would come of my giving you another one," I spat.

Fang ran his hand through his midnight hair. "Well maybe you could know."

"Maybe I don't want to know!"

That was when I made my mistake: with anger and adrenaline pumping hard and fast through my veins, I pulled back my hand and let it go, slapping Fang across the face with all my might.

I stared at the bright red handprint stamped on his cheek for a second, watched him touch it in disbelief. I could read the hurt in his eyes, which was so abundant he forgot to hide it. Then, before I could change my mind and correct my actions, I spun on my heel and went into the bedroom.

I slammed the door behind me with all the strength in my arm, leaving on the other side of it one rejected suitor, two extremely perplexed and entertained mind readers, and one idiotic asshole of an ex-boyfriend, whose one offer of reconciliation I had just adamantly refused.

Maybe I was really the idiotic asshole in this transaction.

* * *

AN: Is Max at last being honest with herself? Oh my goodness!

I am **tired**. I need sleeeep. But, seeing as I don't really have the time to sleep for twelve hours straight...REVIEWS are like SLEEP. Please REVIEW!(:


	10. Demonic Angels

AN: Guess what? This is the official halfway point of the story. I started this two months ago (exactly!) and I have ten more chapters (and weeks) to go. Thanks for sticking with me through this all!

Ahem. So I just randomly decided to flip through my old _Twilight_ fic **CinderBella** and I noticed that **Blawwmkw** stuck with me through that fic and many others. So, just for reading my stuff for the past three years, this chapter goes out to **Blawwmkw**! Enjoy!(:

* * *

The Battle of the Exes

Summary: Two years after Fang left, he's back, with his own flock, on Jeb's orders. Chaos ensues as Dylan fights for Max, Max wreaks havoc on Fang and his new 'girlfriend', and Fang attempts to execute his own plans without revealing his ulterior motive for returning.

**Chapter Ten: Demonic Angels**

Angel was already getting sick of the fighting, and Fang had only been at the Martinez house for twenty-four hours. After his and Max's talk, they blatantly ignored each other. After a week, Angel was just as mad as Max.

She turned to Lux, her now constant companion, and said not a word.

Lux grinned back at her, loving the idea. "When do we start?" she asked.

"As soon as possible," Angel replied.

"You want to split it?"

"Sure. Why don't you get her; she thinks you're utterly adorable. I'll get him; he can't resist me. And then tomorrow…"

The pair smiled with relish. "Tomorrow it happens," they said together.

{[(/*\)]}

Fang knew that Max hadn't really meant what she'd said. She had just been angry, and had acted and spoken according to that anger. Yes, it had hurt (still hurt, even after a week), as he knew was the desired effect. He knew Max. And he knew that there was still _something_, some hope for them.

Max had also always had a lot of pride. When someone messed with her, she didn't forget. When swords were crossed, she remembered. He'd hurt her, and she wasn't going to give in to him easily.

But he was positive that she still had some scrap of feeling for him. She did care, even if she hated him. That was still some feeling.

Fang sighed. He thought back to two years before, when he had had what he wanted, what he'd been looking for. And then things had gotten complicated. His very presence in Max's life had seemed to endanger it. He couldn't bear the thought that, if he'd been standing too close to her at the wrong moment, a bullet or something that had been intended for him would hit her and end the meaning for his existence. She could have died and he would've been at fault.

He remembered in the club in L.A., when Angel had pulled the gun and targeted Max. He had never known more fear than he had in that moment. One shift of Angel's little finger, one change in her unstable mind, and Max would've fallen, a bullet in her heart. And Angel had done it to protect the flock and…Fang.

Angel bounded in, her smile slipping away as she became serious and said earnestly, "Fang, that wasn't your fault. I made that decision for me and the four others that were under my protection at the time. You had nothing to do with that gun getting pointed at Max."

"But you can't deny that I was wanted. And that was putting Max in danger," Fang replied stubbornly.

"If you really believed that, then why'd you come back?"

Fang's face fell. Stupid mind reader… "I came back because Jeb convinced me to."

"And since when have you respected Jeb and his wishes?"

Fang said nothing, hoping that she might just go away.

"I'm not going anywhere, Fang. I know you didn't come back just for that. But what convinced you that you would no longer endanger Max?"

Sighing, he said, "Because they found me."

Angel nodded, waiting for him to continue.

"They found me and…then they let me go. I'm not sure what they did. Maybe they were just checking up on their little experiment, like when they took you. After that, though, I felt stronger. Replenished. And after that I could do this at any time."

"Do what?" Angel asked, but then she saw that Fang was no longer in front of her. "Fang…?"

He tapped her shoulder from behind.

Angel crinkled her eyebrows, trying to dig the answer from his mind, but he knew how to keep her out. "Teleportation?"

He shook his head. "No. I doubt they would actually give me something that _useful_. It's just the same old invisibility. I just command it now."

Angel laughed half-heartedly. "So all that time they were just looking to bring you in for a _check-up_?"

"I guess so. I mean, they let me out of there in one piece, didn't they? But it also means that they'll probably try to get the others in eventually. I just happened to be the first to disappear, the first…"

"The first to die." Fang looked at Angel strangely. "In a manner of speaking," she added. "It sure felt like you had died after you left."

He shrugged. "So I figured, since they'd already gotten me and wouldn't be searching for me anymore, that people would be safe around me again."

"When did that happen?"

"Um…maybe six weeks ago. I got Pepin out of that joint when they released me."

"So they took you when you had the others with you?"

"Yup. In the dead of the night. I was on watch. I was back before a week was up, found Izzy and the others, and introduced them to Pep."

"And then…?"

Fang frowned slightly. "And then Jeb found me. Told me he needed my help, that _you guys_ would need the help of my flock very soon. I almost said he could forget it, but then I remembered what I left behind. And I told him to count us in."

"So why'd you really come?"

Running his hand through his hair, he sighed. "You know why I came back, Angel. You of all people know."

Angel nodded. "Well if that's why you came back, you're doing a horrible job of it."

"I know, I know. But it's just that Max has always been stubborn and even more so now. I didn't think I would do so much damage. I'm even starting to think that I hurt her more by leaving than I possibly could have by staying. She wants almost nothing to do with me, and what she does involves pain, revenge, and violence." He winced slightly.

"You know, last week, during your guys' fight, when she was yelling, that was the first time she's said your name since you left. Even mentally, she didn't like to."

This caught Fang's interest. "What'd she call me then?"

Angel grinned. "Either the asshole or the idiotic ex-boyfriend."

Fang glared at her, knowing she was probably telling the truth. "So what did you come here for, to tell me it's hopeless?"

"No. To tell you that if you're seriously serious, you're going about this all wrong."

"How do you figure?"

"Max was healing. But your coming just ripped open all her old wounds, and not just wounds. She's glad to have you back, she really is. But she resents the fact that you can still bring out those feelings in her, that you still have control over her heart. That's why she's working so hard to shut you out. And if she succeeds in scaring you off, she'll regret it the moment you leave again, but she won't go after you. She hates looking weak. You know that."

"But then how am I supposed to show her that I'm not going anywhere until she cracks, until she accepts me or truthfully tells me that she doesn't care about me?"

"You keep pushing."

"I've been pushing, Angel! And I always get punched or slapped or shut out for it!"

"Maybe you took it a bit too fast. Now she's had a week to fume. She won't be so totally upset. You might be able to get through to her."

Fang opened his mouth to speak, but his mind was also open. Angel answered his question before he could ask it.

"As for your other…dilemma, I'm sure Lux and I could find a way to clear some time when Izumi and the others won't be around. It'll just be you and Max, here, all alone."

Fang narrowed his eyes. "You and Lux?"

"My new partner in crime." Angel grinned, looking totally unlike an angel.

"I don't know…"

"Oh, come on, Fang! We can all go to the movies. Max hates the movies, Dr. M is still at work, and everyone else would jump at the chance to get out of here. All you would have to do is say you don't feel good and stay home."

"But then wouldn't Max just go to avoid me?"

"We'll ask her first and she'll tell us to find out if you're going and say then she'll make her decision. We'll just conveniently 'forget' to check back with her. And then it'll just be you two."

"Do I really have any say in the matter?"

Angel shook her head vigorously, her curls flying. "Nope."

{[(/*\)]}

I jumped about ten feet when I saw Lux standing in my shared room. The door had been closed and I'd had a book open in front of me, but I'd been dozing off. Then she'd suddenly been inside. I hadn't heard the door open or close, hadn't noticed her step inside.

"Hi, Max!" she said brightly. For all her adorableness, she scared the hell out of me.

"Hi, Lux," I replied cautiously.

She bounced over to my bed and sat down on the end. I didn't let my gaze leave her.

"Don't worry, I'm not here to kill you or anything silly like that." Her grin made me think otherwise.

I sighed. "If you say so."

She looked around the room for a bit before blurting, "Do you like Fang?"

I sat up quickly, my book flying out of my hands in surprise. Where the hell did she get the idea to ask me _that_ question?

"What?" she asked innocently.

I narrowed my eyes. "Nothing."

"So do you like him?"

Involuntarily, my mind flashed back to more than two years earlier. I was with Fang, and I mean _with_ him. He was kissing me and it felt amazing. I could almost feel it and clearly picture it and from the look on Lux's face, so could she.

That dirty rotten mind reader.

I immediately slammed the image out of my mind, hoping that she wouldn't be able to read the emotions that accompanied the image as well.

"You do. I knew it," she said.

Damn it. I couldn't lie to a mind reader. It was practically impossible. "What business is it of yours?" I retorted.

"None. It's just curiosity."

"Curiosity killed the cat," I warned her.

"But satisfaction brought it back." She smiled at me.

I was about to say she wouldn't be satisfied when she cut me off.

"So why is it that you're so mean to him?"

I felt my cheeks flash scarlet. "Because I don't want him here. I never did."

Again, I found myself seeing Fang in my mind's eye. He was smiling at me, his hair brushing against his eyelashes. His perfect lips were pulled over his teeth in what I had considered to be _my_ smile. His eyes were full of emotion, this one _love_. _Caring_.

And I felt myself smiling at the memory of those days.

"Yeah, you do," Lux protested.

I glared at her. Was she a mind _reader_ or a mind _controller_?

"A little of both, I suppose," she answered. "But you're definitely right: you can't lie to me."

"Why are you so interested anyway?" I challenged, sitting up a little taller. I wasn't about to be outsmarted by a ten-year-old, mind reader or not.

She grinned again and I almost shivered. "Because. You're screwing yourself over. Fang's a great guy and he _likes_ you, if I'm not mistaken."

I pursed my lips. I didn't want to hear this. "Then you must be mistaken."

"No, I'm not. Mind reader, remember? Besides, even the _blind guy_ can tell."

"Doesn't matter," I argued weakly.

"Yes it does! If you guys don't fix things, you'll end up with the desperate dude! It's like Juliet giving up on Romeo and settling for Paris!"

"Yeah, 'cause when she chooses Romeo they end up killing themselves," I mumbled.

"Okay, then it's like Cinderella not trying on the glass slipper and getting stuck with her stepsisters while Prince Charming goes off to marry some other girl."

"You see too much truth in fairytales. More truth than there actually is in them."

"Come on, Max. Just think about it."

I shook my head. "No, I've made up my mind and some little kid, no matter how much she pesters me, is not going to change my mind!"

Lux looked straight at me and she suddenly seemed much older than ten. "You're right there, Max. Only you can change your mind."

And then she left.

Sheesh. Kids these days…. They knew _way_ more about romance than should've been legal…

* * *

AN: Don't you just love Lux? I do. And besides that, I think she's just about the only redhead Max doesn't hate...hahaha.

So...REVIEWS are like CHOCOLATE, which I have been craving as of late. REVIEW!


	11. Lovesick

AN: Psst! Just so you guys know...I don't own the spectacular movie _Howl's Moving Castle_. Or _Maximum Ride_ for that matter. Phew. Glad I got that off my chest...

So, this is the first post of October. Who else is wondering where the heck 2010 went?

Sensuality warning for this chapter! But I think this is the kind you'll like, especially with every other review shouting at me for this. I'm pretty sure you guys will like this chapter lots. ;D Enjoy!

* * *

The Battle of the Exes

Summary: Two years after Fang left, he's back, with his own flock, on Jeb's orders. Chaos ensues as Dylan fights for Max, Max wreaks havoc on Fang and his new 'girlfriend', and Fang attempts to execute his own plans without revealing his ulterior motive for returning.

**Chapter Eleven: Lovesick**

About half an hour after Lux left, Angel strolled in. She got right to the point. "Hey, Max, do you wanna come with us to the movies?"

I eyed her over the top of my book. "Who's 'us'?"

She shrugged, but read my real question. "I don't know if Fang's gonna come. I haven't asked him yet. But so far everyone else had said yes."

That meant Izzy and Dylan were going. Well, I never really liked the movies anyway…. But what if Fang wasn't going? I didn't want to be stuck here with him.

"Why don't you ask him while I think it over?"

Angel nodded okay and left.

I waited and waited for her to come back. She didn't.

Finally, wondering if the flock (my flock, that is) had gotten kidnapped or something, I wandered downstairs. The house was so silent I could hear the fridge rumbling.

"Hello? Anyone here?" I called out unsurely. There was no reply.

I shrugged to myself. Oh, well. They probably just forgot to ask and left. No big deal. I was heading back to my room, passing the living room, when a dark figure in there moved. I yelped pathetically.

At first I thought it was Iggy, because the figure was tall and lean. "Geez, you scared me. Why didn't you answer when I called out?"

As the figure came closer, I saw that he was too dark for Iggy. I was ready for a fight when I noticed that the figure was not unfamiliar. It was Fang.

Automatically, I relaxed. My mom's house wasn't getting robbed.

"Sorry, I must've dozed off. You woke me when you called."

It took me a moment to understand what he was talking about. "Oh. It's okay. Whatever."

"Everyone took off."

I nodded. I had figured that much out. But if they had left—

Oh, hell no. They had left me with Fang. Alone.

I was going to kill them when they got home.

But first, I decided to get to the bottom of this.

"What about you? Why're you still here?"

Fang shrugged. "I didn't feel so good," he stated simply.

"Oh."

He gestured to the living room. "You wanna join me?"

I raised an eyebrow at him. We hadn't exchanged so much as a glance since our fight the week before and now he was inviting me to _sit with him?_ What the heck?

"We can watch our own movie," he suggested.

And, now that he brought it up, I realized that I suddenly really did want to curl up on the sofa with a bowl of popcorn and watch a movie. Without thinking about who it was lending the idea, I nodded. I could watch a movie with him, couldn't I? I mean, he was my _ex_, not some leper. And besides, I was over him and he knew it. It was _just_ a movie.

(So why was my heart fluttering at the thought?)

"I'll go make some popcorn," I told him and ran off to the kitchen, calling over my shoulder, "You pick the movie!"

When I returned with a nice steaming bowl of popcorn, I realized that there was only one couch facing the TV at a decent angle. And Fang was sitting on it.

But, I would not falter. I curled up around the arm on the opposite side of the sofa.

"You planning to share the popcorn?" Fang asked, picking up the remote.

I passed him the bowl. "What movie is it?" I hoped it wasn't something stupid.

He ate some popcorn before answering. "_Howl's Moving Castle_."

I raised my eyebrows. "You like anime?"

He nodded. "Is it okay with you? We can watch something else if you want."

I shook my head. "No. I like this one."

For nearly two hours, we watched the movie in silence. I eventually moved so that the popcorn was easier to share. I found that being with Fang like that wasn't awkward at all. It was actually _comfortable_, like the good old days. We even fought a little over some of the popcorn, snickering and chortling.

I didn't realize that I'd been scooting closer to him throughout the entirety of the movie. Or that he'd also been coming closer. When there was hardly any popcorn left, we both reached into the bowl at the same time, hands brushing. Suddenly, I didn't care about that last kernel of popcorn anymore. Especially when Fang's fingers curled around mine.

My breath caught in my throat and my heart stopped.

He squeezed my hand, clasping it in his completely.

I squeezed back, turning to look at him, swallowing the gigantic lump in my throat. Oh God…

Fang was looking at me, no longer paying attention to the movie. His eyes were mesmerizing and I found myself leaning closer…

Or was that him doing the leaning?

Either way, I soon closed my eyes and felt his lips brush mine. My heart picked back up double time.

"Max…" he whispered. And then he kissed me again. This one didn't end so soon. I let him kiss me and I may have even kissed him back. This didn't feel wrong, like when Dylan had kissed me. This felt so incredibly _right_. I pushed myself closer to Fang, ignoring the sound of the popcorn bowl falling to the ground. All there was was Fang, me, and this kiss. I found my hands tangling in his hair as his own caressed my face, held me by my back. My wings shuddered and I could feel the goose flesh on my arms. I pulled myself closer to him, until every part of us seemed to be sewed together with no end and no beginning. I could taste the euphoria in this all, in this kiss, my first real kiss in two years. His lips were gentle but I knew he wanted this. Truthfully, I wanted it too. Then he started to push, more eager, more insistent. I didn't stop him; I just kissed him back, harder. I could feel his lips curled in a smile and I couldn't help but smile with him. I loved it, loved him, loved Fang.

I loved him. I still loved him.

And that love had given him the ability to break me.

I broke away from him. His eyes still closed, he murmured, "Max. I'm sorry." He kissed my cheek. "I am so sorry."

I wanted to believe him, I really did. I even wanted to let myself love him again. But then my pride kicked in. Fang had made me weak. He had broken me into pieces.

I got up from the sofa. "I'm sorry, too."

And I left him there, feeling more confused than I have ever been in my entire life.

{[(/*\)]}

Fang groaned in frustration and leaned back into the couch. He didn't even want to finish the movie, though it was one of his favorites. For the first time in two years, he had felt…_alive_. Kissing Max, being with Max, everything about her seemed to wake up some long-forgotten emotion deep within him.

And with her rejection, it all fell down and he died. Again. Just like old times, she had bailed on him.

She had so much control over him. The nature of his day, good or bad, was determined by her, whether she came downstairs smiling or frowning, grinning or glaring. When she hadn't been around, all his days were hovering around the "bad" area, just because she wasn't by his side.

He had left, hurting himself, because he'd been convinced multiple times that it would be good for her. But obviously, it had hurt her as much as, or even more than, it had hurt him. He had heard different perspectives on what Max had been like without him, ranging from "It was like she was dead," to "She just didn't care about anything anymore." All of these hit him like a knife, though. He had hurt her, even when he'd been trying not to.

Fang ran his hand through his hair, tugging some, and absentmindedly watched the credits roll. The white letters on the black background almost seemed to sink in, blurring into all sorts of shades of gray.

His bones ached for Max. It had been so good to have her by him, even if it hadn't been long and even if she had been reluctant at first. But then she had leaned into him, had kissed him, like she'd wanted it just as badly as he had. She had melted and thawed under his touch. He had gotten through to her.

And then she had pushed him out again, slamming a door into her heart.

The screen went black. The credits were done. He had to get up and do something now. His back creaked as he stood up, his wings stretching slightly. He rubbed at his sleepy eyes. He robotically hit buttons on the DVD player and TV to retrieve the disc and put it away.

Fang's legs moved automatically up the stairs, carrying him up to the room where he was sleeping. Apparently it was the room that Iggy and Dylan usually shared. Fang wasn't sure how Iggy could stand Dylan, but then he'd realized that Iggy was only in his room half the night; the other half he was with Ella, gallivanting about the house, and maybe even the neighborhood, doing God-knows-what. Fang found himself wondering if Ella at all minded the fact that her boyfriend had wings.

He maneuvered himself down the hallway and saw the door to Max's room was closed. He could see that the light was on and he heard the muffled sounds of movement. Max.

Fang's feet caught on something and he bumped his knee on something else he didn't bother to look at, catching himself on the doorframe to the bedroom. He didn't know what was wrong with him. He limped over to his makeshift bed on the floor and once he was in range, he just let his body fall onto the mattress. The sensation of falling nibbled at his nerves and he thought about going for a flight. But then his stomach churned and a sudden soreness flowed through his wings and he knew that if he tried, he would probably end up falling for real and going _splat_.

Maybe Max's rejection really _was_ affecting him, physically, not just emotionally.

His stomach churned again, worse this time. The nausea swept over him suddenly and he pulled himself to his feet too quickly. His brain spun in his skull as he jogged clumsily to the bathroom, tripping over his own feet. He got there just in time, vomiting into the open toilet. It only made him feel sicker.

Fang stumbled back to the bedroom. Max was still in her room, bustling about. Fang nearly collapsed, catching himself on something he couldn't see. As soon as he let go, it toppled over and he heard the sound of breaking glass. He would have to explain to Dr. Martinez about that. He didn't even have the energy to clean it up.

His legs gave way when he reached the doorway. He crawled over to his mattress, trying to wipe the sweat from his brow. He felt sticky all over, his mouth tasted horrible, and he wanted to die. His throat burned and his head ached. His mind began to slip away into the darkness and his thoughts became muddled. He couldn't remember what had happened five minutes before, what he was wearing, where he was, or what color Max's hair was.

As Fang's eyes closed themselves, though, Fang knew one thing for sure:

He wouldn't have to lie about not feeling good anymore. He would just sleep until the nightmare was over.

* * *

AN: Didn't I say you guys would like it? At least, up until the part where Max walks out...

HELP, HELP! So I'm (still) working on my _Hunger Games_ oneshot, and my copy of _Mockingjay _is (still) out on loan. COULD SOMEONE PLEASE REMIND ME WHAT THE LITTLE GIRL AT THE END LOOKS LIKE?

As I mentioned before, it is now October. I now have exactly one month before NaNoWriMo, which I seriously intend to do this year, do and complete. I've been prepping all summer and I'm anxious to start writing for real already. Who's with me? Check it out by sticking a ".org" on the end of "NaNoWriMo."

REVIEWS are like...PEPTO-BISMOL. I think Fang could really use some of that...Care to help him out? REVIEW!


	12. Mission Impossible

AN: Wow, so we totally just passed 200 reviews and left it behind in the dust. And it wouldn't have happened without your guys' dedication to this story. THANK YOU GUYS SO MUCH! :D

This chapter's for **Kit-Kat-AnGeL**, who was kind enough to remind me what Katniss's daughter looks like. Which enabled me to finish my _Hunger Games_ oneshot, entitled **Terror**. Which enabled me to post it for your enjoyment. Check it out, if you're interested.(:

My old MR fic The After Years is currently undergoing some major renovations, if you want to check it out. I've reposted the first three chapters so far, and plan to post the other twenty in due time.(:

There's an important-ish AN at the bottom. Please read it. But for now, enjoy the chapter!

* * *

The Battle of the Exes

Summary: Two years after Fang left, he's back, with his own flock, on Jeb's orders. Chaos ensues as Dylan fights for Max, Max wreaks havoc on Fang and his new 'girlfriend', and Fang attempts to execute his own plans without revealing his ulterior motive for returning.

**Chapter Twelve: Mission Impossible **

The moment I had entered my room, I had slammed the door, flipped the light switch, and then I punched the wall with all the strength I could muster. I ignored the hole in it for the moment.

"Damn it!" I screeched. I had been stupid, an imbecile, a complete and total fool.

Fang was my ex. That sort of stuff was _not_ supposed to happen with ex-boyfriends. And yet it had. I had let it happen, encouraged it even. I had kissed him back! Maybe I was even the one who had kissed him in the first place! Who the hell knew!

I pounded my fists against the wall again, but not with as much force this time. I was so frustrated with myself for playing right into his hands—and lips—like that. UGH!

I sank down onto my bed. When would this all go away? Couldn't Fang just pack his bags and walk right out of my life again? It hadn't seemed so hard for him to do the first time. And this time, I wouldn't wish for him to come back.

Never again.

I sprang up and violently pulled open the closet door. It was time to get rid of the last shreds of evidence that proved a relationship between Fang and me.

I moved all the clothes out of the way, mine and Nudge's, not caring if they fell to the floor. I dug through all the junk that had piled up in the back, searching for a specific box. A box that held some terrible things.

Okay, so maybe not terrible. There were exactly three things in the box. One was a black T-shirt that had always been too big on me, which it would be, as it was not mine. It was Fang's and it had been one of the things that he had left behind. I had taken it during one of my desperate-heart episodes because it had smelled like him.

Another thing was a pure black feather, the deepest black imaginable, the kind that looked purple in the light. It was soft and smooth and the end of the plume was sharp, like a quill would be, or a knife even. Fang's feather.

The last thing was the most important of this collection: It was the letter that Fang had left, still in the envelope with my name on it. _MAX_, written in all-caps in his quick, spiky writing.

Tonight, these three things would burn.

I dashed out of my room, forgetting to clean up the mess and cover up the hole in the wall. I ran into Gazzy's room and found one of the many lighters I knew the kid owned. In the middle of the hallway, I saw one of my mom's tall vases, shattered on the floor. I hoped it hadn't been my fault. I peeked into Iggy and Dylan's room and saw Fang dead asleep on the mattress. I suspected he had broken the vase, whether on accident or on purpose, I had no idea. Shrugging, I sprinted downstairs and grabbed a stack of week-old newspapers. Then I was in the backyard, on the cement area, and setting the newspapers on fire. After that, I ripped the shirt to shreds with my teeth and hands (it most certainly didn't smell like him anymore), feeding each piece to the hungry flame.

I watched the fire dancing for a bit and I suddenly knew why Gazzy loved it so much. It was enchanting, hypnotizing to watch. Different colors and different degrees of heat. It was fascinating.

Before I could forget my purpose, I tossed the feather onto the flames, watching it curl as the heat devoured it. My eyes were glued, tracing the ever-changing pattern of smoke and flame swaying before me to the music of the night.

Then I gingerly picked up the enveloped letter. I freed it from its prison and tossed the envelope into the fire, watching my name burn into smoke and ash. I looked at the box, plain and wooden. I wouldn't need it after this, so why keep it? I ripped off the lid and threw it into the pile, watching as the fire accepted this newcomer. The delicate carving seemed to rise up off the wood itself. I dropped the rest in.

For a moment, as my little fire crackled on, I stared at the letter, wondering what the best way to dispose of it would be. I wanted to tear it beyond recognition and watch as it became a charred black. This was it. The last evidence of Fang's so-called love was in this letter and this letter was about to die.

I opened it slowly, considering reading it through one last time. But I knew that it would only make me change my mind so I released my grip on the paper and watched it sail down toward the flames. It was licked once, twice, before it actually landed. And then it really started to burn.

The corners rolled in on themselves, turning brown and gold and black, singed with orange heat. The ink faded. I watched, not satisfied or displeased. But when I saw three words screaming out at me, I betrayed a reaction.

The words were "I love you."

And I darted my hand into the fire and grabbed what was left of the letter, pulling it out onto ground that wasn't all-consuming hungry flames. Still, it burned. I stood up and began to stamp on it with my bare feet, ignoring the slight pain. I'd had worse.

Finally, it was out. The rest of the fire died soon enough, dwindling into nothing but smoke and ash in the night air. Most of the letter had become ash, but there was still some left. Most importantly, the part that had caught my attention was still there.

"I love you." I wondered, not for the first time, if Fang had really meant that. If he had, then why had he left me? Why had he left me with nothing to remember him by but a pathetic T-shirt, a pitiful feather, a letter of questionable honesty, and a pain in my chest?

Why had he left me with a broken heart?

I shook my head and left the ashes where they were, folding up what was left of the letter and tucking it into my pocket. I didn't know if anyone would ever fall in love with me (again), so I thought I might as well remember that, once upon a time, someone had maybe loved me.

As I walked up the stairs to my room, I vowed to always keep the remnants of the letter with me.

{[(/*\)]}

I wasn't sure what time the others would get back, but I was sure they would see more than one movie on each of their one tickets. I heard my mom walk in the front door around ten and knew she would find the note Ella had left on the fridge, so I didn't get up. Everyone else was back by the time I woke up the next morning.

At breakfast, I saw Angel's face, and she was looking at me funny. I had known she'd had something to do with what had happened the night before!

We all ate breakfast quietly. My mom didn't have to go to work until later that afternoon, so she had made waffles. Iggy and Ella were on time to breakfast for once. I silently counted the people in the room and found that there were only twelve people around the table. Someone was missing.

Fang.

Angel, the darn mind reader, caught on to my train of thought and asked, "Where's Fang?"

I was actually grateful that she hadn't made me say it.

Iggy answered, "He said he wasn't feeling good. And he sounded like he was genuinely sick."

Angel's face twisted up weird and she glanced at Lux. They were working together! Of course… Those stupid mind readers!

"Didn't he say that last night?" Nudge pointed out. She was sitting next to Artemis, her head resting on his shoulder.

"Yeah." Angel nodded. "Strange, isn't it? I guess it was more serious than we thought."

My mom looked up. "You guys tell me if he gets any worse and I'll see what I can do, okay?"

Iggy nodded. "Yes, ma'am." Ever since she had walked in on him and Ella, Iggy had been extremely respectful of my mother, calling her ma'am and holding doors and taking out the trash and such. It was actually quite amusing to watch him work on his gentlemanliness, especially when he was being a gentleman to the woman whose daughter he spent most of every day kissing and touching in places he maybe shouldn't. Not that Ella minded, though. She probably did the same.

I tried to not remember when I'd had someone I could kiss.

Angel looked over at me and I felt a completely involuntary thought intrude in my mind:

_What happened last night?_

_You don't need to know, Angel,_ I responded. _Please just leave it._

She glared at me and shook her head stubbornly. Where had she learned to be stubborn as an ass?

Oh, right. She'd learned it from me. Oops.

Angel turned to Dylan. "Did he look alright?"

He shook his head. "Nah. He was pale and sweaty and he was breathing heavily. Looked like he was about to puke at any moment."

"Maybe he ate something bad," I muttered.

"Maybe he's lovesick," Lux commented, looking at me pointedly. I tried to look away before she could see the blush in my cheeks.

Angel grinned. "Probably."

I stole a glance at Izumi, expecting to see some kind of reaction, but she was engaged in conversation…with Dylan.

What the heck? What was this world coming to?

My mom absently turned the page of her newspaper. "Let's hope that, whatever it is, he gets over it soon. Jeb called and said he was going to stop by tomorrow. Something about the first part of your training."

"What?" I said, incredulous. "Why didn't you say anything before?"

She shrugged. "I was going to wait until everyone was here together, but I'm just going to have to trust that someone will relay the message to Fang." She very clearly looked at me as she said this and I glared at the floor.

Iggy nodded. "I will," he volunteered, then mumbled under his breath, "I just hope he doesn't puke on me."

Soon after, my mom left the table. A couple of people, namely Angel, Lux, Gaz, and Pepin, wandered off, but I just stayed at the table and continued to glower at the floor, doing my best to ignore the cooing sounds coming from where Nudge and Artemis were sitting, the flirtatious laughter coming from Dylan and Izumi, and the occasional kissing noises coming from Iggy and Ella.

But most especially, I tried extremely hard to ignore my own thoughts, most specifically the ones that worried over Fang.

Needless to say, I failed horribly.

{[(/*\)]}

The following day, I woke up to the very pleasant sound of Nudge and Ella yelling at me to get up. Ella violently shook my shoulder and periodically beat me with a pillow. What are sisters for?

"Maaaaaaaaaaax! Get uuuuuuuuuuup!" Nudge whined.

I groaned something that I hoped sounded like, "No."

"Jeb's here already! You have to wake _up_!" Ella shouted.

That made me shoot up like a bullet. "What?" I had completely spaced on that. Jeb was supposed to be coming.

"Jeb's here. Everyone else is up and ready to move, even Fang, and believe me when I say that he looks like a half-dead cat. He's got these HUGE shadows under his eyes and he can barely stand and if you get real close, he looks like he's gonna throw up on you, but he still managed to get up!"

"Okay, okay, okay." I basically felt like Nudge was telling me that I was being an inadequate leader. "Gimme a minute." I rolled over, intending to land gracefully on my feet. Of course, I ended up misjudging the distance and falling flat on my butt. Talk about getting up on the wrong side of the bed.

I heard Ella and Nudge both giggle at my disoriented state. I glared at them, hoping it intimidated them at least a little.

"You've got two minutes," Ella said and Nudge followed her out the door.

I threw on the first clothes my hands touched, realizing too late that the shirt I had grabbed was Nudge's and about two sizes too small for me. I groaned and tried again.

Everyone had already eaten by the time I got downstairs. The flocks were crowded in the living room and Jeb was in there, too, looking ready for business. I guessed that meant no breakfast for my growling stomach.

I sat down begrudgingly beside Nudge. Not that she noticed, as she was too busy talking to her new best friend. Or maybe they were more? I stole a glance and saw their fingers laced together between their legs. I resisted the urge to gag. Stupid love fest.

Jeb smiled at me. "Thank you for deciding to join us, Maximum. Now we can begin."

I noticed then that Ella wasn't in the room, and neither was our mom. Iggy sat by Fang, who really did look half-dead. The two were whispering to each other, igniting my curiosity.

The sound of Jeb clearing his throat brought me back to the real world. "Shall we begin?" Without waiting for a response, he continued. "Now, as I'm sure you all know, something is coming, something that you all are going to have to work together to face. You are two flocks, and you must remain so, but you must also learn to act as one. If the leader of the other flock gives you an order, it must be followed without hesitance. If a member from the other flock is in jeopardy, risk everything but your own life to save him or her. We can't afford to lose one person, but to lose two would be tragic."

I nodded, accepting these terms, no matter how much I disliked them. If I saw Izumi, helpless and unconscious, dangling from a cliff, about to fall to her death, I probably wouldn't move more than an inch to save her pitiful life.

But that's just me.

From the corner of my eye, I saw Fang also nod, but very weakly. He then rested his head in his hands. It was obvious, though, that the two of us were the leaders and that we had to speak for our flocks.

"Now, before we actually unleash you on the bad guys, we need to test the waters. See just how well you guys can work together. I imagine that there was some…conflict at the beginning, but now you've had a week and a half to settle, so I hope you can get along decently.

"Today, I will be taking you to an abandoned warehouse. My colleagues and I have set ourselves up there and we will simulate an ambush. When we arrive, you guys will enter the warehouse and the faux attack will begin. The main goal is to get all of you out of there unharmed in less than thirty minutes, _without_ doing more than disarming anyone you encounter and _without_ flying. You might as well consider your wings useless while you're in there. If you die, you'll know."

I glared at my father. Of all of those specifications he listed, I was sure that he knew the disarming part would be the hardest. I was used to _at least_ knocking my enemies unconscious.

Another thing: My flock hadn't encountered enemies in two years. Our world had been awfully peaceful. I just hoped that our fighting skills wouldn't be too rusty.

"Does everyone understand?" Jeb asked.

There was a chorus of "Yeses" and then Jeb said, "Let's go."

We all shuffled out of the living room, putting on shoes, or grabbing packs of gum at the last minute. I saw Iggy slink out, presumably to find Ella. When most everyone was out the door, he was still missing. I peered into the kitchen and saw him glued to Ella. Instead of upchucking, I decided to get back at my sister and yelled, making sure my voice was loud enough to be heard all through the house and even from Antarctica, "ELLA! IGGY! QUIT SUCKING FACE ALREADY! WE'VE GOT TO GO!"

They broke apart immediately, both blushing deeply. Ella glared at me and I smirked. Revenge could be _so_ sweet.

* * *

AN: Max's infamous box of all things Fang is also featured in my oneshot **Broken Falls**. Oh, and the "quit sucking face" was inspired by a scene in **Vamps-With-Wings** fic Magical Mayhem: Flight of the Half-Bloods...if I remember correctly...(:

Okay guys, here's the situation: I NEED MORE HELP. Now this help doesn't even require you to move or think super hard, like last week. I'm trying to decide, once and for all, on the spelling of a character's name, for my NaNoWriMo novel. I've asked so many people already and it's currently at a tie. So I leave the choice to you: which spelling do YOU prefer?

ALEXANDER

or

ALEXZANDER

PM me or something if you want a description to go with it. But, otherwise, tell me your preference in a REVIEW!


	13. Pointing Fingers

AN: This chapter contains my favorite fight of all, because the whole time I was writing it, I could picture it in my head. Maybe I also like the fight because Fang finally explodes. Overall, it's one of my favorite chapters of this story. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it.

Oh, wait. Language warning for this. Like I said, there's a fight, multiple parties are ticked off, and so things are tense.

Now you can enjoy.(:

* * *

The Battle of the Exes

Summary: Two years after Fang left, he's back, with his own flock, on Jeb's orders. Chaos ensues as Dylan fights for Max, Max wreaks havoc on Fang and his new 'girlfriend', and Fang attempts to execute his own plans without revealing his ulterior motive for returning.

**Chapter Thirteen: Pointing Fingers**

Nudge stared at me with worried eyes. She was surrounded by whitecoats. We all knew it was a game, but it felt so real. Too real.

Izumi was the closest to her. I shouted her name. She turned to look at me before sneering and running off. She wouldn't help me, which meant she wouldn't help Nudge.

There was a crash and I instinctively turned toward the source of the noise. Pepin was on a platform that was about to fall. He needed help to get off, I realized. Fang saw him, too, and glanced at me.

"Max!" he hollered. "Help Pep!" Fang looked like he was about to pass out. He shouldn't have come; he wasn't of sound mind.

I saw a fire start up in my peripheral. Dylan was in the center of it. "Max!" he called out. "Help me!"

But I did not want to help him.

Instead, I dashed off towards Nudge. If no one else was gonna save her, then I would have to do it myself.

But I was too late. The whitecoats killed Nudge, and even though I knew it wasn't real, I felt a wave of grief surge through me.

I heard Pepin scream in the background, followed by Lux somewhere. Then I saw Izumi yank Dylan through the flames surrounding him. It killed them both. I saw Angel running three levels above me, Iggy and Artemis on her tail. They were soon surrounded. I watched as Gazzy tried to save them, appearing out of nowhere. They were all dead within a minute.

From where I was, I looked back and saw Fang. He was already dead.

And then, I followed my flock into the darkness of death.

{[(/*\)]}

By the time we got home, we had already endured a lecture on teamwork from Jeb. Apparently he was deeply disappointed by our performance. We had been given thirty minutes to get out of the warehouse and we had all gotten killed within ten. Obviously, our fighting skills _had_ gotten rusty over the years.

When we got into the house, Jeb herded us all into the living room for another lecture. The moment he opened his mouth to speak, I interrupted.

"I gave a command which was ignored." I glared pointedly at Izumi. "I do believe we specifically discussed that issue before we left."

Fang defended her, in a way. "The same happened with me," he said, his eyes flashing at me with suppressed rage.

I immediately got defensive. "This is not my fault. I went off to help Nudge because _your _second-in-command refused to save her! If anything, it's _your_ fault, because she's under _your_ care and _your_ instruction! _You_ obviously didn't teach her well!"

That sparked a fire in Fang that I thought he'd lost. He began to yell back. "Don't you _dare_ pin this on me! Izzy acted on her on impulses to save another member of _your_ flock that you had neglected to help! And if you're going to say that I taught her wrong, fine! Just remember that I learned everything from you!"

I clenched my fists, knowing he had a point. "Ha! You obviously didn't pay attention since it landed you with this bunch! And I could've helped Dylan if Izumi had actually gone for Nudge, _like I'd told her_. And then maybe some of us would be alive!"

"Yeah, Pepin would _definitely_ still be alive if you'd saved him, _like I told you to_."

"You should've gone for him yourself! He was right by you!"

"You are so clueless! In case you hadn't noticed, I was a bit too busy puking up my guts!"

"Oh, what? Did you get the _bird flu_? You should've thought better of it and stayed home! You're _so_ _stupid_!"

"I'm stupid? _I'm _stupid? You're so freaking hypocritical, Max! You're complaining that Izzy didn't follow orders when you can't even follow anyone's! Yeah, Izzy should've thought better and followed Jeb's orders, as well as yours. But you should've followed the orders, too! It's not just one person's fault!"

I snorted then. "And you claimed to have changed."

He flared up again. "Damn it, Max! You bring out the worst in me, you know? I _did_ change! But you've managed to unravel two years of hard work in a freaking week and a half! Maybe you're right! Okay? Maybe you're all flipping right! Maybe I shouldn't have come back!"

That actually hit me. _Hard_. He regretted it, coming back. I knew he did.

That was also when Jeb stepped in. "Max, Fang, we won't get anywhere if all you're willing to do is point fingers at each other. Truthfully, you _all_ need some work. Max, Fang is right: you should've followed the orders given to you. Fang, Max is also right: your flock should've followed their orders. Everything will go to hell if you guys and your flocks can't let go of your arrogance and _learn to work together_! As one—"

"SHUT UP!" Fang and I shouted simultaneously at Jeb. He did as he was told.

I glared at Fang. "Perhaps you're right. Maybe you shouldn't have come back. All it did was cause trouble for the both of us. So maybe you should leave and we can pretend like none of this ever happened. Like neither of us ever existed."

Jeb put a hand up. "You can't do that, Fang. You guys need each other. You always have, but now more than ever. Something big is coming. And it will take the both of you—and your uniquely individual families—to stop it. There's no turning back."

For a moment, nothing happened. Then Nudge—bless her—got up the courage to ask, "Jeb…what exactly _is_ coming?"

Jeb seemed to age ten years with that question. He rubbed his face with his hand and sank into the nearest chair. When he answered, he spoke so slowly, so carefully, that I had to strain to catch his words.

"What's coming…is what you were created for."

I took a step toward him when it became clear that he wasn't going to say anymore. "What? What the hell's that supposed to mean? I thought we'd already fulfilled what we were created for! Isn't that why we're laying low now?"

"Laying low? Oh, Max. That's not what you've been doing, not at all. You needed a rest. And you needed to stay in one place for a while, so that when Fang was ready, we would know where to find you."

That confused me. That really, really confused me. "You mean…all this time, I've been misled?"

"Not necessarily, Max. I never told you why you were here. You never asked."

I shot a glance at Fang, then Jeb. "Did…did he know?"

Fang said nothing. Jeb replied, "He knew some. He knew that he was to contact me every few months. And he did so, reluctantly, I might add. He called after he saved Pepin, after he got out of the School."

Angel glared at Fang. "You lied to me!" she accused.

He put his hands up defensively. "No, not exactly. I just didn't elaborate."

"Wait, what did he lie about?" I asked Angel.

"I didn't lie."

"He told me that Jeb found him after he got Pep. He just so conveniently failed to mention that he had been in regular contact with Jeb." She continued to glare at him.

"You little liar," I said to him.

Fang was frustrated. His hands went up to his head and he began to tug at his hair. "I DIDN'T LIE!"

Jeb interfered once again. "Please don't blame him, Angel, Max."

"You can stay out of this, Jeb! This doesn't involve you," I shot at him.

He sighed, but stayed quiet.

I glowered at Fang. "So you knew this was coming." It was not a question.

He looked at my forehead. "I thought it would happen sooner or later."

"UGH! So you're telling me that you made that damn twenty-year promise knowing you couldn't keep it? Why the hell did you even make it then?"

"I—"

"All this freaking time and you knew you'd be back. You bastard!"

"Max, please believe me when I say that I wouldn't have left if I had known that it would affect you like this."

"Affect me? Is that what you call it?"

"Whatever you want to call it, I wouldn't have, okay?"

"Then why did you? Why the hell did you even leave in the first place?" I yelled.

A silence fell over our heads, sizzling like an egg landing on a hot skillet. Fang was trying not to stare at me and I stared at him. Finally, he met my eyes.

"Max…you don't even know the half of it," Fang said, his voice so much quieter than it had been two minutes ago.

"Is that what you think?"My breath was ragged as I whispered back, as though to preserve the sudden quietude that had descended upon us.

He nodded. "It's what I know."

"Then tell me."

His eyes left mine and traveled to Dylan, who was sitting next to Izumi. Both had been listening intently to our argument.

"I was convinced. Convinced that I was putting you in harm's way, that I wasn't right for you. I was convinced of it so many times, told over and over that leaving would make you safer."

The quiet faded with his nonsensical words. "Oh, please. Don't give me that bull again on how you left for me."

"But it's true. They had me convinced. And they knew I would do anything to keep you safe. So they told me that the only way I could do that was to leave."

"Who did? Who told you that?"

He glanced at Dylan again, and then his eyes flashed over to Jeb. "Dylan did, and then Jeb confirmed it."

I was disgusted, looking between the both of them. "I can't believe you guys." Then I included Fang in my gaze. "Any of you. The pair of you for feeding him such bull, and you. I can't believe that you just went along with it."

Dylan stood up. "It was the truth, Max. _Is_ the truth. He's no good for you—"

"Oh, and why is that? It can't possibly be because _you're_ the one that's perfect for me, Mr. Other Half. You've got your own girlfriend, who obviously rebounds incredibly fast. What're you gonna do when she's through with you?"

Dylan sat back down, shaking his head. Izumi glared at me while she soothed him. Well, she hated me even more than before.

"You," I started on Jeb. "How _dare_ you! Just because you fancy yourself my father doesn't mean that you have the right to interfere in my personal life, let alone the lives of those around me! You don't get to choose which guys I date, or decide what kinds of friends I have. You didn't even introduce yourself as my father until three years ago! You have absolutely no right to invade my personal space!"

"Max, I did what needed to be done," Jeb argued weakly.

I ignored him. "And then you." My eyes focused on Fang. "You had the stupidity to go along with it all. You believed them! How could you? You had the nerve to say those things to me, to do those things with me, and yet you wouldn't even stand up for it! If you had had the balls to be a man, none of this would've happened!"

"You don't understand, Max! You never understand!" Fang shouted suddenly.

"What the hell is there to understand? You left!"

"But you just don't get why! You don't want to understand and you never will, Max! You never will because you don't care enough to bother!"

That was when Fang kicked the coffee table. I was shocked; he was pissed enough to give in to his very rare violent tendencies. The things on top of the table flew and the people in the room with us watched with wide eyes.

Fang's hands were in his hair again, pulling roughly. He turned around sharply, making to leave, but then he turned back to face me. Hadn't he already hurt me enough? I hoped my feelings didn't show on my face.

"And you know what else, Max? I give up. Happy? I FREAKING GIVE UP! You win!"

And then Fang stomped out of the living room, and I wasn't sure if he'd come back.

{[(/*\)]}

Fang stormed up the stairs, hitting each one hard with his feet. The sound was like thunder. Angry thunder.

When he reached the room he was occupying, he stomped in and slammed the door behind him, clicking the lock in place. He couldn't believe that Max would say that. He couldn't believe that he'd reacted that way either.

He kicked the wall. For the first time in a long time—a very long time—Fang wanted an Eraser or some other figment of his nightmares to show up, only so he could throttle it. He wanted to hurt something, punch something, even kill something.

But Fang wasn't stupid; he'd seen the look on her face and he knew that he had already hurt someone. The one person he had never wanted to hurt again.

Max.

This time, he punched the wall. He sobered a little when he saw the hole his fist left behind. There was blood on his knuckles, skin peeling off.

He yelled, the words making no sense to his ears. Why was Max so stupid? He wanted to know. Why had he thought coming back would be worth it?

She was an idiot, such a freaking idiot. Why had he thought she would be worth all the trouble?

Maybe she wasn't worth it. Maybe Izzy had been right all along. He never should've come back. And if he'd been stupid enough to come anyway, he should've left the minute Max threw the first punch.

Why had he put up with her? Why had he _ever_ put up with her? For the first fifteen years of his life, he'd suffered next to her and sometimes by her hands. She had ripped his heart out so many times and he'd only ever come back.

And now he'd come back for even more.

Maybe he was through, maybe he finally saw that winning Max over was a hopeless prospect, just like it had been all his life. Maybe now that his vision wasn't so blurred by the desperation to be accepted he understood clearly.

Or maybe he had it all wrong.

He yelled again, kicking the wall repeatedly and damning Max to the very pits of hell.

Why had he come back? Why had he thought things would work? Why had he tried to make them work?

He thought about Izzy, thought about what it had felt like to have her kiss him. So wrong, but satisfying. Iggy said she had felt that way and he'd been right. Even before they'd come here, Izzy had liked Fang. It would've happened eventually. And if they hadn't come, Fang could've been with Izzy. He could have been satisfied.

So why had he come back? Why had he tried to excavate Max's feelings for him, and kept pushing, when it had been so painfully obvious that she had no feelings for him other than hate?

He remembered all of a sudden what Iggy and Angel had said when he'd first arrived. He remembered when everyone had left and Max had kissed him.

Then he remembered how she walked away, saying that she was sorry, though he was sure she wasn't. He remembered her yelling at him, felt her open palm on his cheek, felt her fist on his jaw. He kicked out at the wall again, but this time his foot hit the wall at the wrong angle and he howled in agony. Not just the agony of his now severely twisted ankle, but also the agony he felt inside.

Why was he putting himself through this hell? Why was he letting Max play her demented games with him? Why was he bothering? Why was he trying so hard? Why was he there?

And then Fang remembered the most important thing, the answer to all his questions:

Because Fang had loved Max. And he still did. So with a sigh, he sank onto one of the beds and decided that he wouldn't give in. Not just yet.

* * *

AN: Ooh. Intense much?

So, the reviewer **Ellie** asked me in a review what I would rate _The Hunger Games_, on a scale of 1 to 10. All-in-all, I'd give the trilogy an 8. Hope that helps you, **Ellie**!

REVIEWS are like CUTE GUYS (or girls, if that's how you swing). You can't ever get enough of them.(: REVIEW!


	14. Mutinous Vows

AN: Ohmygurshes, BIG BIG BIG **THANK YOU** to MaeMae xD, who seriously just made my Saturday a lot better with her REVIEW. I don't know you, but I will love you forever! =D

Guess what? The renovations on **Maximum Ride: The After Years **are complete. Go check it out, if you'd like.(:

Oh, hey, another language warning, because Izumi calls Max some...unpleasant things.(:

Enjoy!

* * *

The Battle of the Exes

Summary: Two years after Fang left, he's back, with his own flock, on Jeb's orders. Chaos ensues as Dylan fights for Max, Max wreaks havoc on Fang and his new 'girlfriend', and Fang attempts to execute his own plans without revealing his ulterior motive for returning.

**Chapter Fourteen: Mutinous Vows**

Angel was furious. Enraged. Livid.

She glared at the room around her. They had all just endured another lecture from Jeb, sans Fang, and Max had retreated half-way through. The two flocks, practically abandoned by their leaders.

Someone needed to take charge.

Angel knew only one person for the job and, looking at the others around her, she inserted a thought into each of their minds:

_The madness has got to stop_.

Most everyone looked up, wondering what was going on. Artemis, Pepin, and Izzy were perplexed, not used to having another's thoughts invade their mind. Gazzy, Nudge, Dylan, Iggy, Ella, and Lux knew what was going on. Iggy's sightless eyes somehow found Angel. He knew what she meant.

"I agree, Angel. It does need to stop."

Angel's lips curled into a smile. "Who else thinks so?" she asked the others.

Nudge nodded, followed by Ella, and most everyone else. Then Izumi looked straight at Angel and announced, "If you mean helping that stupid bitch get over herself, then I'd rather not help."

Angel would convince her otherwise. "It's not for Max, or even for Fang. It's for the rest of us."

Dylan also looked unsure. Angel turned her eyes on him. "If Fang decides to leave right now, you guys, as his flock, would have no choice but to follow. And we might never see each other again. This is for us. Not them."

Though, Angel thought to herself, it would be nice to see them happy again.

But first, she had to convince the others.

"So who's in? Who's ready to stop the madness, right here and right now?"

Artemis looked at Nudge. "I am," he said firmly.

Izumi bit her lip, thinking. She sighed. "If making that bitch happy is the only thing that'll enable us to stick around, I might as well." Dylan nodded.

Everyone else cast their 'votes,' and with a little more persuasion from Angel, it was unanimous: they would stop the madness themselves.

"So how is this gonna work?" the Gasman asked his sister curiously.

Angel got a gleam in her eye, one that rarely meant good. "We take charge. Haven't you ever heard of mutiny?"

"Whoa, slow down, Angel," Iggy said, trying to be a good second-in-command. "Mutiny? Really? I don't think we need to take such drastic measures."

Angel glared at him, knowing it would have no effect. "Then what do you suggest?" she asked bitterly.

Iggy shrugged. "I don't know, but not something so…out there."

Pepin spoke up, and it was the first time Angel had heard his voice since he'd introduced himself. "How about a vow of silence?"

Nudge and Artemis were appalled. "WHAT?" they said together.

Pep shrugged. "It was only a suggestion."

It was a suggestion Angel liked. She decided that she would have to keep a closer eye on Pepin. He was really turning out to surprise her.

"Actually…that might just work," she mumbled. "Guys, think about it. A vow of silence. It can't be that hard. And if none of us are talking, they'll immediately know that _something's_ up, which is just exactly what we want."

"It is?" Dylan murmured.

Angel nodded. "Yes, it is. If they don't catch on and straighten up, they'll have the threat of mutiny hanging over their heads."

"I was hoping it wouldn't go in that direction," Iggy sighed.

Angel ignored his comment. "They'll just have to work things out, because if they don't, we'll do it for them."

Izzy looked at Iggy. "I like this kid. Where'd you find her?"

Angel cleared her throat. "So are we all in agreement?"

No one protested, but Nudge and Artemis were looking at each other with uncertainty. This is gonna be the hardest thing they've ever done, Angel realized.

"So?" Angel asked, specifically looking at the pair of them.

They nodded slightly, as did everyone else.

"Good," Angel affirmed. "We start…now."

And then started the longest silence that either of the flocks would ever see.

{[(/*\)]}

At last, it was a new day! I stretched and yawned in my bed, glad for once not to be woken up by the boisterous noise of Nudge and Ella shouting. I was sure they were still asleep, but then I saw them both up and awake. Nudge was picking the day's outfit and Ella had just walked in after taking her morning shower. They both looked at me and then away without uttering a word.

Talk about weird.

"Good morning, guys," I said, thinking if I spoke first, they would take it from there.

They nodded at me and nothing more.

Huh?

Fifteen minutes later, I was walking down the stairs. I just wanted to put the day before completely behind me and start over. Fang had hopefully taken off (literally) during the night, with the rest of his stupendously unpleasant flock. I guess some part of me knew that it was too much to ask for, so my hopes didn't have much to fall when I saw Pepin in the kitchen with Gazzy. They didn't say anything as I passed by them for a bowl, but they rarely did. Say anything, I mean.

I filled my bowl with cereal and poured in some milk, sitting at the table with a spoon and an appetite. I could see Angel and Lux from where I was, playing cards in the family room.

Well, I decided, there were always two people that I could hope left my mom's house overnight.

My hopes fell yet again when Izumi and Dylan came into the kitchen, hand-in-hand. Gazzy and Pepin were gone, having departed silently.

I glared a bit at Izumi, waiting for her to say something to bite at my nerve endings. Her glance passed over me and she said not a word.

What the heck was going on here? I wanted to know.

When I'd finished my breakfast, I went into the family room to see if I could get in on the card game. "Morning, Angel, Lux. Do you mind if I join?"

Angel nodded and shoved some cards at me.

"What's the game?" I asked.

I heard _Poker_ in my mind. Angel didn't say it out loud.

"Are you alright?" I wondered.

Angel and Lux nodded at me, smiling wide. It was a scary sight to behold. I repressed a shudder.

"So…how'd you sleep?"

They said nothing in reply.

"Are guys, like, trying to see who can go the longest without speaking or something?"

Again, nothing.

I figured that they were playing a game and decided to test their boundaries. "So, these two muffins are sitting in an oven. One muffin turns to the other and says, 'Is it just me or is it getting hot in here?' Then the second muffin goes, 'Holy cow, a talking muffin!'"

They didn't laugh. They didn't smile. Their lips didn't even freaking _twitch_. Wow, they were serious.

I shrugged. At least I had an explanation for these two. But I was still at a loss as to the reason for everyone else's odd behavior.

After a couple rounds, in both of which I lost severely (that's what I got for playing with not one, but _two_ mind readers), I ditched the poker in favor of something else to do. Preferably something I was_ good_ at.

Iggy and Ella were in the living. Amazingly, they weren't sucking face. But they weren't talking either. They were just…there. Ella was leaning against Iggy, her head on his shoulder. His arm was around her and he was gently stroking her shoulder.

Iggy heard my approach and stood up. He kissed Ella's cheek and I wanted to think he said something like, "I'll be right back, sweetie," to her. But if he did, my ears didn't catch it.

He walked past me and beckoned for me to follow. We rounded the corner and then he stopped. "Max? It's you, right?" he asked.

"Yeah, Iggs. How'd you guess?" I replied rhetorically.

"Everyone's footsteps sound different," he answered.

"Do you know what's up with everyone?" I said, surprising myself.

His eyebrows crinkled together. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, no one's talking. Not that I've noticed. Except for you and me."

Iggy chuckled. "What are you talking about? I'm not talking."

I crossed my arms. "Ha-ha, how funny."

He rolled his cloudy eyes. "At least, I'm not supposed to be. So don't tell anyone."

"What, are you guys all playing a game or something?"

"You could say that."

"And why'd you break the rules to waste breath on me?"

"Well I would hope that it's not wasted. And I'm breaking the rules because I need to talk to you."

"About Ella?" I asked.

He shook his head. "No. About Fang."

I froze. "Did he leave?"

"Nope. And don't say you wish he had, because you and I both know you want him to stick around."

"What are you talking about, Iggy?"

"I'm talking about how you feel. Look, I know we were never exactly close, not like you and Fang, but I still know you enough to know that you do still care about him."

I remembered the whispering from the other day and I suddenly understood. "You know, don't you?"

"If you mean about what happened while we were gone at the movies, then yes, I know what happened. And I think it'll be a miracle if you don't get the stomach flu, too."

"That's all it was, then?"

"Yeah. Just a common stomach bug."

I felt myself relax. He was okay.

"Now, back to the matter at hand, which is you and Fang."

"What about it?"

"Why did you walk away?"

"Because. I wasn't about to let him hurt me again."

Iggy sighed in frustration. "Really, Max? You passed him up for your freaking _pride_?"

That was a good way to put it. "Yeah, you could say that."

"Geez, Max. Don't you get it? He left for you and he came back for you. And last night, he almost left again. _For you_."

"He did?"

"Yeah. He was pretty much calmed down by the time I went up, but I practically had to peel him off that window sill."

I was shocked. "You mean he was gonna leave the others?"

Iggy nodded. "He said that everyone was happy here, except for you and for him, and he thought that maybe if he was out of the picture, you might be okay."

"What about him? Would that have made _him_ happy?"

Iggy laughed half-heartedly. "See? I told you you still care about him."

I glared. "Shut up, Iggs."

"Why don't you say his name, Max? You say everyone else's without a second thought, but you don't say his. Why is that?"

I was _not_ about to confess my inner feelings to _Iggy_, of all people. But thankfully, I didn't have to. He just continued on.

"Anyway, Max, I think you should give him another chance, and if you aren't going to, then just don't lead him on."

"What're you talking about? I'm not the one leading _anyone_ on, let alone him!"

"Really? Because to me, kissing him and then walking out, only to yell at him a couple days later, sounds an awful lot like leading him on to me."

"I didn't kiss him! He kissed me!"

"He only kissed you because you kissed him first."

I went pale. So I _had_ been the one to start it. Oops.

"He said that?"

"Yup. He told me very clearly what happened."

My fists clenched. So much for not kissing and telling. What ever happened to _privacy_?

"So, choose your way: give the love of your life another chance, or push him away and regret it forever."

I said nothing to him.

"If it's silence you want, then don't worry; that's what you'll get. No one's going to speak until you make up your mind."

"What?"

Iggy nodded. "Exactly. It'll be silent as a graveyard in this house—unless you and Fang decide to start another shouting match—until you tell it to him straight."

I glowered at him. "And whose idea was this?"

He shrugged. "Technically it was Pepin's, but I think Angel will end up taking the credit."

"And you helped?"

"Yeah. I mean, it is better than Angel's original idea, which was flat-out mutiny."

My eyes narrowed even more until they looked smaller than Izumi's, I was sure. "That little devil…"

"At any rate, it's the cause that counts. And it's a good cause." He patted my shoulder. "See you around, Max. Er, you know what I mean. And you never heard a word from me." Iggy made the motion of zipping his lips and then walked off the way we had come, back to his sweetheart.

My stomach churned and bubbled. I felt sick. Iggy had made some sense, but I didn't want to listen to sense or reason. But Angel was trying to take over again. Great. On top of everything else that was already on my plate, she was trying to shove me out of the leadership role. And from the looks of it, she was doing a damn good job of it.

And that was when my stomach rebelled as well and my breakfast landed on the floor in front of me.

* * *

AN: So there goes that pesky stomach virus again. And, of course, Angel has resumed her devilish work of taking over the flock...bwahaha...

Next chapter: Max kinda makes a fool of herself. And the chapter after that. And after that. And maybe even the chapter after that. Poor Max.

You know, there's seems to be a sort of magical quality to REVIEWS. You see, last Saturday (which was, by the way, a very awesome day. I did everything from volunteering to writing to driving home.(:) I got a hug from this very cute guy.(: (And Taylor Swift has been singing in my head ever since.) And I'd just told you guys that REVIEWS are like cute guys. =D Which makes me wonder now what would happen if I said that REVIEWS are like a MILLION DOLLARS...


	15. Silence is Golden

AN: Wow, so this is the last update of October. The story is just long enough to get me through NaNoWriMo in November. The writing's complete, so you'll get all your updates on time, though there might not be much in the way of ANs. Not that that's necessarily a bad thing...(x

So this story has officially surpassed **If Only**, review-wise. All thanks to you guys and your diligence in reviewing.(: THANK YOU! This one's for you.(:

* * *

The Battle of the Exes

Summary: Two years after Fang left, he's back, with his own flock, on Jeb's orders. Chaos ensues as Dylan fights for Max, Max wreaks havoc on Fang and his new 'girlfriend', and Fang attempts to execute his own plans without revealing his ulterior motive for returning.

**Chapter Fifteen: Silence is Golden**

Needless to say, though I'm going to say it anyway, I was immensely perturbed. Like, PMS and pregnancy thrown together (not that I would know about the latter). Not only had my ex-boyfriend given the details of our…encounter to my second-in-command, who was totally corrupting my little sister, and not only had the youngest person in the house been planning to take advantage of my moodiness in order to take over (again), but there wasn't a damn thing I could do about it, because I was stuck in bed with the wretched stomach flu virus that I had gotten from aforementioned ex-boyfriend.

What can I say? Life is never fair and it obviously had a grudge against me.

So. I was sick and I was pissed.

I leapt up from the bed again, dashing to the bathroom. I had been positive that there was nothing left in my stomach to upchuck, but I guess I had been wrong. I burst through the door, which swung shut behind me, ignoring the fact that there was someone in there brushing his/her teeth. I fell at the toilet and wretched and heaved, my face framed by the toilet seat. The person standing by didn't say anything, so I assumed he/she was someone from the flocks and operating under the vow of silence Iggy had mentioned earlier.

When I was pretty sure I was done for the moment, I collapsed onto the floor, trying not to throw up again at the disgusting taste that had been in left in my mouth. I took deep breaths, my eyes closing, my face turned toward the ceiling. I heard the faucet turn on, then a voice said, "You okay?"

I opened my eyes a very little bit, hoping it wasn't who I thought it was. I knew everyone's voice and only two other people in the house were speaking. My hunch was confirmed: it was Fang.

I squeezed my eyes shut. Why, of all people, did _he_ have to be in here when I run into the bathroom and throw up my guts? Was there no mercy in the world?

I could tell he was waiting for an answer. "You're seriously asking that question?"

The faucet shut off. "Sorry."

I glared up at him for a second. "You should be. You gave me the stupid virus to me in the first place."

His jaw tightened, but he didn't bite at the bait. "Do you know what's up with the silence?" he asked instead.

"Yes."

"So?"

"What?"

"Why isn't anyone talking? Not even Nudge and Artemis."

I let out a sound that was somewhere between a frustrated sigh and a groan. I did not want to have this discussion, especially right now, with _him_. "Why don't you ask Iggy?"

"I did. He didn't say a thing."

I wanted to laugh. So _now_ he decided to hold his tongue!

"At least tell me how you know. Or are they all just giving me the cold shoulder?"

I shook my head. "It's not that. But Iggy told me."

Fang sounded surprised. "He did?"

"Yeah. And he also told me what you told him." I hoped he could feel me glowering at him, even through my closed eyelids.

"Oh."

My stomach made a few strange noises. I prayed I wouldn't vomit again, especially in front of him. I'd already made such a fool of myself.

"So are you gonna tell me why they're not speaking?"

I snorted. "Isn't it obvious? They've all taken a vow of silence, though Iggy isn't really upholding it."

"And, pray tell, why have they done so?"

"They want me to straighten some things out."

"But if it was just about you, then wouldn't you be the only one talking? Why am I not in the loop?"

"Because. I don't know, ask Angel."

"Angel's in charge of all this?"

"More or less. But from what I heard, it was originally Pepin's idea."

"Huh. I guess they actually _can_ work together."

"Yeah, in case you didn't notice, they all get along fine."

"Except for us."

"Right."

For a moment, neither of us spoke, but it wasn't awkward. I then realized that I was talking to him like it was nothing. Like we were still best friends, or more.

I did not like how I could so smoothly, so easily, slide into our old friendship.

"Maybe we should try to get along…" Fang suggested.

I put a hand straight up in the air, my eyes still closed. "Don't even. If you try to do something mushy, I might just puke on you. Besides, I thought you'd given up."

I would swear that I heard Fang chuckle. Weird.

"If you say so. So how do I fit into this all?"

"They want me to straighten things out with you," I mumbled.

"Ah. Now things make a bit more sense. So they won't speak until things have been…worked out?"

I nodded weakly. "Something like that."

"Then you might want to rethink the whole mushy part, if you ever want to hear them speak again."

"Ha-ha. I think I've heard Nudge speak enough in my seventeen years to last _five_ lifetimes. If they don't speak again, then that's their problem."

I wanted to think that Fang frowned at that. "So you're willing to just let it go on and not do anything about it?"

My stomach felt like it had settled enough to behave for a time. I got to my feet, letting my eyes flutter open. I took in the sight of Fang leaning against the sink, his long body stretched out lazily, his black wings extended out a bit behind him. It was then that I noticed that he was not wearing a shirt. I pulled my eyes away, before they could enjoy the sight too much.

"Well, you know what they say: Silence is golden."

Fang stared at me. "Wow. You never cease to surprise me, Max."

I stretched out my arms. "What'd I do this time?"

He shook his head. "You would really leave them all hanging like that, just to not 'straighten things out' with me."

I nodded. "That's right," I said too cheerfully.

"You really hate me that much?" he whispered.

That caught my attention. Did he really think that? I said as much.

"Yeah, I really think that. It's not like you've proven much different."

I turned away, ready to leave him to his thoughts, but he stopped me.

"Max?" he whispered again. "Just please tell me one thing."

I turned to look at him.

"Is it worth it? Or should I just give up?"

I blinked, confused by his question, though I knew exactly what he was talking about. I took another step toward the door and put my hand on the knob. Before I left, I sighed and said, "That's for you to decide, Fang."

And then I retreated back to the eerily silent confines of my room.

{[(/*\)]}

The next day was hardly different, except that I was feeling a tad better. Ella woke me up wordlessly, shaking my shoulder.

I groaned. "Haven't you given the silent thing up yet?"

She smiled in reply.

"I'll take that as a no," I grumbled at her. After sitting up and rubbing my eyes, I decided to tease her. "Hey, Ells, what if I told you that I talked to Fang last night?"

Her eyes lit up. "Then I could talk again!" she whispered gleefully.

"Well I did."

She threw her arms around me with a squeal. "I've missed my voice so much!"

"But that doesn't mean we worked things out," I clarified.

She pulled back a bit, frowning. Then she smiled again. "But at least you guys aren't at each other's throats!" she said happily. "We'll all be talking again in no time!" And then, Ella shut up.

That day, Jeb was back, ready with another "war game."

"This time, the point of the game is to work on something that I think you all need to brush up on: communication."

My heart sank. That was the one thing our flocks weren't doing at the moment. "Uh…about that…"

"Yes?"

"There might be a little problem…"

Angel glared at me, daring me to say more. Which I did.

"Not everyone is really…well, talking at the moment…"

Jeb raised his eyebrows. "Is that so?"

I nodded, as did Fang.

"Well then you guys had better fix it. You're going to need to talk for this game to work right."

Angel didn't look too pleased with that idea. A few of the others, namely Nudge, Artemis, and Gazzy, looked to her, but she firmly shook her head.

"Where are we going this time?" I asked Jeb.

"Not too far. Your mother gave me permission to use the backyard for this one."

So my "father," being the oblivious man that he was, figured that the others had decided to start speaking again and led us all into the backyard.

"This is how things are going to work: Everyone is going to sit in a circle, next to a member of the other flock. Then, I'm going to whisper something in Max's ear. In turn she'll whisper it to the next person and the next, and so on. The last person will then whisper the message to me. The rules: no super hearing and no mind reading." He looked directly at Angel when he said that last part. "Every time the message comes back to me right, you guys get a point. Every time it's wrong, I get a point. Simple enough?"

Fang and I nodded, not paying attention to the reactions from the others. Then, I commented, "Isn't this game called Telephone?"

Jeb shrugged. "I guess. But the point thing was completely my idea."

I rolled my eyes. "Whatever. Good luck."

We all sat down, next to someone from the other flock, as instructed. I ended up between Jeb and Pepin. On Jeb's other side was Nudge.

"We ready?" Jeb asked unnecessarily. And then he leaned over and whispered in my ear, "Flabbergasted."

I thought it was the randomest word in the English dictionary, but still, I whispered into Pepin's ear, "Flabbergasted."

Pepin glanced at Angel, who again shook her head. But still, he turned to Gazzy, making the motions of whispering. Gazzy then turned to Izumi, who turned to Dylan, who turned to Lux, who turned to Angel. That was where the faux whispering came to a halt. Angel just stared ahead, looking straight at Jeb.

"Is there a problem, Angel?" Jeb asked her.

She nodded firmly.

"And that would be…?"

She said nothing in response, but Jeb caught on.

"You've got to be kidding me, Angel. Do you mean to tell me that the last person to repeat the message was _Max_?"

She nodded again.

Jeb's palm met his face. "Why won't you guys just _speak_ already?" he complained.

Fang shrugged. "They've just been like this for the past few days." Angel glared at him, and then me.

"Are they petitioning or something?"

"You could say that…" I replied.

"What is it they want?"

"I'd rather not discuss it."

Jeb turned to Fang. "Fang?"

"Apparently they want some things straightened out."

I glowered at him for giving away information, but Jeb surprised me by getting to his feet. "Well, then you guys had better get it straightened out. I'll be back in three days. You have until then."

And then he left, all of us still sitting together in the damp morning grass, but more apart than ever.

* * *

AN: Yes, Jeb totally just did a facepalm. And that was Max making a fool of herself. Puking in front of Fang. I mean, I would hate to throw up in front of the cute guy I work with. And that's pretty much what Max just did. But that's just the tip of the iceberg...bwahaha...

So, needless to say, the million dollar thing didn't work out too well. (The people I babysit for are NOT that rich.) But I did get more hugs from aforementioned cute guy, who I have a holy huge crush on.(: And his little sisters have caught on. Seriously, I have a video of them talking to my best friend, saying that the cute guy and I were walking off for "a romantic moment." Like, wow. Just, WOW. Since reviews obviously won't bring me monetary wealth, maybe REVIEWS are like GOOD LUCK?(: And maybe we can hit 300 this time around? REVIEW!


	16. Idiotic Strangers

AN: You guys should seriously thank **Zs27**, or else I would have forgotten to post.(X

**Ari**, there are no cute, nice guys at my school. *sigh* There are cute guys, but they're pretty much jerks and/or pervs. And there are sweet guys who just aren't cute. But this guy...cute and nice. No wonder he doesn't go to my school.(x But I guess that's just high school.(:

* * *

The Battle of the Exes

Summary: Two years after Fang left, he's back, with his own flock, on Jeb's orders. Chaos ensues as Dylan fights for Max, Max wreaks havoc on Fang and his new 'girlfriend', and Fang attempts to execute his own plans without revealing his ulterior motive for returning.

**Chapter Sixteen: Idiotic Strangers**

The night was cold. I had opened the window and was sitting on the ledge, staring out into the ever-enticing night. The wind was gentle, calling my name. My wings stretched out behind me, my feathers just itching for a flight. I was about to satisfy their demands when I heard a knock at the door.

Sighing, I called out, "Come in," wondering who it could be.

The door opened and I expected to see Ella or Nudge, or even Iggy. But who it was completely surprised me.

It was Izumi.

I watched her warily as she closed the door and stepped lightly over to where I was. She didn't smile or anything of the like in greeting. She just took a seat at the edge of Nudge's bed, the one closest to the window.

She surprised me again by speaking. "Hi."

"Hi…" I raised an eyebrow. "Have you guys come to your senses or am I not supposed to tell anyone about you speaking?"

She shook her head. "Don't tell."

I shrugged. "Whatever." I turned my gaze back to the night.

"Look, Max, just tell me: do you even care about Fang? At all? Is what we're trying to do worth it?"

"Funny," I said. "He asked me a similar question not too long ago."

"Well is it?"

I didn't say anything for a while. I could feel Izumi's gaze on my back, prompting me to answer. "What's it to you anyway?" I asked.

"Fang's my friend," she replied. "And I want him to be happy. And if for some demented reason, you're what makes him happy, then you'd better not screw him over."

"Oh? What, you're willing to give him up, just like that?"

"I'm not giving him up. And besides, if you send him packing then we all have to go."

"You're seriously saying that you wanna stay? Wow, you got more attached to Dylan than I thought."

"He's a nice guy."

I looked at her dubiously.

"Okay, fine. He's an amazing guy. And he's _sooo_ hot."

I laughed silently at her enthusiasm. "If you say so. He's always been a tad too pushy for my taste."

"And Fang?"

I bit my lip. Could I be honest with her?

"You _do_ still care, don't you?"

"My question is, what's it matter if he just leaves again?"

Izumi shot up, pointing at me. "You do! You do still care!" she accused.

"I didn't say that."

She calmed down a bit, sitting back down. "I don't think he's gonna be leaving anytime soon, and if he does, it won't be that far."

I shrugged. "Anything's possible. Back in the day, I couldn't imagine not having him around. And I still managed to survive two years without having a single clue of his whereabouts."

"I bet that pissed you off to no end," Izumi smirked.

"Not really. I don't know, maybe I got used to it. But now that he's back, it's turned my whole world upside down."

"Not just yours. I've never lived in a house before."

"I know what you mean. Between the School and being on the run, there's not much room for a home."

"You've been in the School?"

I nodded solemnly. "More times than I care to remember."

"Oh. I thought you'd lived here your whole life, since you actually have parents and you know who they are."

"No way. Jeb busted us all out when I was ten, but then he disappeared after two years. We all thought he was dead and lived on our own. But then when I was fourteen, the School found us and we were on the run again. It wasn't till about that time that I found out Jeb was still alive and that he was my father. I hated him for not ever telling me, and for never telling us just exactly which side he was on. And then I found out who my mother was. I'd met her before 'cause of some…complications, but she hadn't known who I was then. After Fang left, my mom took us all in. And I've just been waiting for something to come along and disrupt the peace."

"So how'd you end up in the School, if you had parents?"

"I'm not really sure. My mom avoids the subject and Jeb is just so freaking vague. But my guess is that they both worked for the School, not just Jeb. And so they had me willingly and gave me up willingly."

Izumi shook her head. "I can't see your mom doing that."

"Well whatever happened, that's all I can assume. Maybe in the end she didn't want to give me up, and maybe Jeb didn't want to either. Maybe that's why Jeb was always around. But I just don't know for sure."

She sighed. "The School is pretty much all I can remember, no matter how far back I go. And then one day they just forgot to lock me in. And so I snuck out and before I knew it, I was in the real world. I taught myself how to fly a bit, and Fang taught me the rest, but I never thought the real world would be so brutal. I was always cold, I was always hungry, and I could barely get by. And then Fang found me and pretty much saved me."

"So you've known him for a while, then?"

"Yeah. I don't know, maybe it was just that he was the first person to actually acknowledge me as a _person_. But I always felt protective of him after that. That's why I was ready to throttle you when we first got here." She smirked.

I laughed half-heartedly. "I've always kind of felt like that about him, too. But at the same time, I know he can stand up for himself; I've seen him do it. So I learned to stop worrying about him."

"How did you guys meet anyway?" she asked curiously.

I shrugged. "I guess it just sort of happened. They put our crates next to each other, when we were still young. And we just hit it off right."

"Together from the beginning," Izumi muttered. "And now look at where you guys are."

I cocked my head in question.

"You guys can barely speak without arguing, you're always mad at each other. I mean, what the hell happened to that friendship?"

"We screwed it up by falling for each other." After the words were out of my mouth, I immediately wished I could take them back. Izumi did not need to know that.

"Ha-ha. So because you guys took your friendship to the next level, now it can never be the same? Like, some never-ending battle of the exes?"

I shrugged. "I don't know. Like, sometimes things can be okay between us, but then we touch on something that's still sensitive, some silently tabooed subject."

"Then why not just lift the taboo?"

My eyes flashed. "It's not that easy, Izumi. He hurt me. How am I supposed to just forget that?"

"Just forgive him. If you still care, then that moment of humbleness will pay off in the end."

"But maybe I don't want to care! Maybe I just want it all to go away!"

She snorted. "Oh, come on. What is with that bull? If you didn't want him around, you wouldn't still be here, now would you?"

I looked her straight in the eye. "You know what? Much as I hate to admit it, you're right." I ducked under the window. "Good-bye."

And then I pushed off the ledge into the night, leaving Izumi behind to watch me go with wide eyes.

{[(/*\)]}

I had already landed and gone a couple of miles on foot when I realized that running away wearing nothing but a tank top and pajama pants—not even shoes—was not the smartest idea. I rubbed my arms to try to fight off some of the cold, but I didn't have any way to really hide my wings. That was the purpose of me wearing a tank top: to give my wings more freedom. But it also did a poor job of covering them.

So with my wings tucked in tightly, my eyes narrowed in aggravation at my predicament, my cold feet scraping along underneath me, and my hands rubbing constantly on my arms, I walked down an empty street and turned into an alley. Don't ask me why, I just did it. I think I was looking for a shortcut to some place or another.

At least I was until I felt something crash—_hard_—against the back of my head. My first assumption was that, upon impact, I was supposed to drop unconscious. So I let my body fall to the ground, preparing myself to fight off the idiotic strangers that thought they could mug _me_, of all people.

"Do you think it worked?" one voice asked.

"I dunno. Is she dead?" came a second voice.

Voice one: "Nah, she's still breathing." I felt something prod at my side. "I think."

Voice two: "Let's just get her back to the boss. She looks like someone'd be willing to cough up a lot for her."

Voice one: "Okay."

I was trying to figure out what they were saying when it hit me: they were in the middle of kidnapping me, for a ransom. My lips curled into a grin. This ought to be interesting, I thought. And then I decided to play along.

After all, it would buy me some time to be away from everyone else and I could sort myself out. Just the vacation I'd needed.

So I shut my eyes and let my mouth go slack as I felt them slide a dirty sack over my head and pick me up. And I went without a single cry of protest and without incapacitating anyone.

* * *

AN: Okay, so I need a bit more luck. My SAT's tomorrow. Eep! My fingers are going to be crossed. Sadly, though, because I have to go take that stupid test, I won't get to see the guy I like.): My Saturday is just gonna suck. REVIEW!


	17. Don't Find Me

AN: Thank you so much to everyone who wished me luck on my SATs. Also, what's with the sudden wave of demand for more frequent updates? Did you guys plan this or something? O.o

My apologies for the shortness of this chapter. I make up for it in the last few chapters, I swear.(: Enjoy!

* * *

The Battle of the Exes

Summary: Two years after Fang left, he's back, with his own flock, on Jeb's orders. Chaos ensues as Dylan fights for Max, Max wreaks havoc on Fang and his new 'girlfriend', and Fang attempts to execute his own plans without revealing his ulterior motive for returning.

**Chapter Seventeen: Don't Find Me**

For the first time in days, Fang awoke to the sound of someone shouting. He peeled open his eyelids and saw Iggy standing there, shaking him vigorously and looking panicked.

"Dude, you've got to get up! Everyone else is already downstairs! Hurry!"

Fang rubbed the sleep from his eyes. "Why're you talking? And what, did the house blow up or something? Am I dead?"

"Shut up! It's an emergency! Something happened to Max!"

That woke Fang up faster than a bucket of ice water could have. He threw off the covers and made it downstairs before Iggy.

"What happened?" he gasped out as he entered the living room where everyone was gathered around the phone.

Iggy came in and Dr. Martinez said, fear lacing her voice, "Go on."

There was a cough from the phone and then, "Like I said, we've got this girl with us. And if you ever want to see her again, then you'll bring eight thousand big ones—in _cash_—to the warehouse at the corner of Fifth and Gray. Bring the money, and we'll give her back to you safe and sound. But for every day that you don't show, we'll chop off a toe. And if those all disappear, she'll start losing fingers."

Fang was horrified. Were these…kidnappers? Making a ransom call? For _Max_?

"Can we talk to her?" he heard himself say.

The man coughed again. "Uh…no, actually. Just bring the money and she's all yours."

There was a click and then silence. Dr. Martinez started to cry and Ella immediately set to soothing her.

Then Nudge said, "How did Max get kidnapped?"

Iggy nodded. "Yeah, you'd think she would've beaten the life out of all of them before that would ever happen."

"There's no way they could've gotten away with it."

"Unless Max didn't want to stop them," Fang whispered.

Everyone turned to look at him curiously.

"Why would she _want_ to get kidnapped?" Nudge asked.

Dylan seemed to have the answer. "Well, a while ago, Max told me that she wanted a break. Maybe that's what she figured she could get from it."

"And maybe she realized how stupid these goons are. I do believe that the warehouse he mentioned is where they have her," Angel added.

"So should we send the cops?" Izzy asked.

Fang shook his head. "No," he said. "We go after her ourselves."

Dr. Martinez sniffled. "Fang, are you sure? You could get yourselves into trouble."

"Max wouldn't have it any other way. And I don't want you to go broke over something that we can handle ourselves."

She smiled weakly. "Thank you, Fang. I'll never forget this."

"So when do we leave?" Angel asked.

"Right now. Who's coming?"

{[(/*\)]}

So there was Bob, Daryl, and Bartholomew. The Snickerdoodle brothers. And they were actually pretty decent guys. Yeah, they smelled awful and they did threaten to start chopping off fingers and toes for every day it took for the ransom money to come, but overlooking all that, they were the nicest kidnappers I'd ever met.

We were playing Go Fish. And it had been so long since I'd played cards with someone who was _not _a mind reader that I actually managed to win more than once.

"Geez, Max, where'd you learn to play like that?" Daryl said, frustrated.

I gladly took the money that he'd lost to me. "Years and years of experience, Daryl. I've been playing cards forever."

"I feel sorry for the people who play against you," Bob murmured.

"Actually, I know someone even better. She can drain your wallets in poker. She's so good at it, it's like she's reading your mind." I laughed inwardly at this. If only Angel was here…

Bob raised his eyebrows. "Really?"

"Yup," I nodded. "And she's only nine years old."

"Wow, she'll probably grow up to be champ," Daryl mumbled. I saw the vaguest look of jealousy in his eyes.

"So," I began. "What're you guys gonna use the money for?" I asked out of curiosity.

"We're trying to start our own casino. The Snickerdoodle Casino," Bartholomew answered. "We've had our eye on this place for years and now that it's finally on the market, we need enough money to get it."

"Is this just a side business then?"

"Huh?"

"The whole kidnapping thing. You gonna just keep it going on the side to bring in more cash?"

Bart shrugged. "Probably not, but if things get real bad, we might have to."

I nodded in understanding.

"So who was it we called, Max?" Bob asked.

"My mom," I told him.

"And your pops?"

"He comes and goes. He shouldn't be there now, though."

"They not married?" Daryl asked.

"Nope. Never have been, as far as I know. To each other anyway."

I won again, this time against Bob. He begrudgingly handed me his money. Daryl snickered.

"Who was it that asked if he could talk to you?" Bart asked curiously.

I crinkled my nose. "Well, we have a bunch of people staying with us right now. That was one of them."

"He sounded like he cared an awful lot for someone who's just staying with you," Daryl commented.

"Fine," I said. "He's my ex."

Daryl and Bob waggled their eyebrows. "Whoooo…"

"Shut up," I spat.

"So what's your ex-boyfriend doing in your house, worrying over you?"

I glowered at Bob. "My dad brought him."

"And how does that work out? You'd think it'd be the dad that scares the guy off in the first place!" Bart said cheerily.

"He did. And he has yet to tell me why he brought him."

"Well don't you sound bitter!" Daryl exclaimed.

"I am not! He just ticks me off is all."

"Sure he does…" Bob teased.

I glared at the lot of them before defeating Daryl yet again. Bartholomew seemed smart enough not to play me.

"So why aren't you with the guy? He obviously cares," Bob remarked.

"It's complicated," I grumbled.

"Well, I think we have time," Bartholomew began.

I was going to give some nasty retort, but I was rudely interrupted by the huge warehouse door smashing open. There was a flurry of people and I frowned because I'd been hoping it would take more time for them to come and get me. Given a couple more hours, I could have easily won back the eight thousand Bob, Daryl, and Bart were asking for my release.

The three stooges were all on the floor within a minute and only then did I realize that it wasn't the flock that had come for me.

It was the whitecoats. The _real_ ones.

* * *

AN: Dear **Me**, I hope you love me for throwing in Bob Snickerdoodle, as requested. His name was originally Sal, but I figured that since I won't be updating more frequently, I could at least give you your Bob Snickerdoodle.(:

Now, I have a very good reason for sticking to Friday-only updates: I am currently writing a novel and I need to hit forty thousand words by Thanksgiving (NO TURKEY), fifty thousand by November thirtieth. This story has just enough chapters left to pull me through this crazy month, if I post one chapter per week. So you guys either get to hear from me weekly, as usual, or I'll have to go silent for the rest of the month. I picked the first option for you guys.(x

REVIEWS are always appreciated.(:


	18. Six is a Lucky Number, Seven is Luckier

AN: HAPPY HARRY POTTER DAY!

I kinda like this chapter, and I hope that you guys like it, too. It's more than twice the length of the previous chapter, which is good, right?(:

Enjoy!

* * *

The Battle of the Exes

Summary: Two years after Fang left, he's back, with his own flock, on Jeb's orders. Chaos ensues as Dylan fights for Max, Max wreaks havoc on Fang and his new 'girlfriend', and Fang attempts to execute his own plans without revealing his ulterior motive for returning.

**Chapter Eighteen: Six is a Lucky Number, But Seven is Luckier**

In the end, five others chose to accompany Fang. He walked out the door, leading Iggy, Nudge, the Gasman, Angel, and, the most unwanted follower, Dylan.

Once they were in the sky, Dylan led the way. He knew where the warehouse was.

They found the place in fifteen minutes. Fang hoped it hadn't been enough time for them to start chopping off any of Max's toes, no matter how bony they were. In a quick once-over of the place, they found no one outside. No guards, no thugs. Then they just let themselves in through the front door.

Fang didn't know what he had been expecting, but it definitely wasn't what he found. There were three men tied to the nearest post, all of them chatting happily, and absolutely no sign of Max.

"Where's Max?" he asked the men automatically.

The one who looked like he was in charge said, "Isn't it obvious, kid? Someone kidnapped her from us!" As he said this, the other two were whispering, "Is he the ex-boyfriend?"

Fang chose to ignore the quieter conversation. "What do you mean she got kidnapped?"

"Exactly what I mean. We were all just playing cards and then these people busted in and kidnapped her!" the boss said.

The smallest one looked at Angel. "Do you think that's the poker wiz she mentioned?"

The other hissed, "Shut up, Daryl, you retard!" Then he sheepishly asked Fang, "Did you happen to bring the money?"

The small one hissed back, "Now who's being the retard, 'ey Bob?"

The leader cleared his throat. "You both had better pipe down."

Fang watched them curiously. "So…you guys are seriously trying to convince me that you had the wits to actually pull off a kidnapping?"

The leader went red. "It's not our fault she was kidnapped from us! And besides, she was the one walking down a dark alley in the middle of the night."

Fang sighed and looked to Angel. "Can you figure out who it was?"

She nodded and started to poke around in their minds. After a few moments, she turned to Fang. "It was the whitecoats," she said with complete confidence.

Fang's eyes went wide. "Come on," he said to the others. "We've got to find her."

They were turning to leave when Bob called out after them, "Um, guys? Would you mind untying us?"

Fang rolled his eyes, baffled as to how these numbskulls had managed to kidnap _anyone_, let alone Max. She really must have wanted to go with them. Then he nodded to Nudge and Gazzy and the two of them went back to free the three dimwits.

{[(/*\)]}

I was back in the School. I'd gone from being in an awesome I've-been-kidnapped situation to a dreadful I've-been-kidnapped situation. Honestly, I would have rather stayed with Bob, Bart, and Daryl for a week (I didn't believe the toe bit anyway) than have spent even a single minute in the School.

But Daryl, Bart, and Bob weren't the brightest folks in the world, so it hadn't been any trouble whatsoever for the whitecoats to kidnap me. At least with Daryl and co., I had gone willing.

Strangely, though, I wasn't in a dog crate this time. Maybe they'd decided that I was a big girl and didn't need to be cramped into one of those things. So they let me just sit on a counter.

People, every one of them in their trademark white lab coats, passed by constantly. They all had medical tools or pens and clipboards, and most of them were much too busy with their own business to pay any mind to me.

I started formulating a plan in my head. If they were all really so absorbed in their work, I thought I could easily slip out without their notice…

Then one of them approached me. She had light brown hair that was all swept up in a bun, frameless glasses, and a clipboard that she was studying intently. After standing in front of me for about of minute, she glanced up and smiled.

"Maximum Ride? Hi, I'm Dr. Ferguson."

I was immediately suspicious of her friendliness. "Hi…"

"So, tell me, how's the super speed been working out for you?"

I raised an eyebrow. "Um…I don't know. I haven't had the need to use it for a while." Though I would totally use it to jet out of here, I wanted to add.

Dr. Ferguson frowned a bit and wrote something down. "Okay. And the underwater breathing?"

I laughed aloud. "Oh, swimming at the public pools has never been funner! At least, I'm sure it would be if I _could _go swimming in the public pools," I finished bitterly.

Her lips pursed. "Okay… And how's the leadership thing going, with it only being you on top?"

I glared at her for bringing that up. How had the School known about Fang leaving? Finally, I answered, "It's been…lonely."

Her eyebrows shot up. "Lonely?" She sounded surprised that I was capable of that emotion.

"Yes, lonely. That's the closest word I can come up with. Sorry if it's inadequate."

"Mmhmm…" She jotted down something else. "And how's your Voice?" she asked.

I smirked, deciding to mess around with her. "La, la, la, la, la!" I sang. "How's that?"

Dr. Ferguson glared at me over her glasses. "The one in your _head_, Maximum!"

I shrugged. "I haven't heard from him—it?—in a very, very long time."

"Good. That means you're doing what you're supposed to and you have things mostly figured out."

"Huh?"

"The Voice was given to you to guide you when you erred. After all, you were still a child. You were bound to screw up sometimes. And, trust me, you did. But now I guess you've matured a great deal and don't really have any more need for it."

"If you say so. Either way, it's nice to have my mind to myself."

At that moment, Angel's voice entered my head. _Max, where are you?_

"Most of the time," I added.

"Ah, right. You look after one of our mind readers, don't you?" Dr. Ferguson asked.

"Yep."

_Max?_

"So how are your other charges?"

"Charges?"

"Your…flock, as you call them."

"Oh! Those guys." I shrugged. "They're good, from what I can tell."

"How's the blind one coming along?"

"He hardly seems blind."

"And the talkative one?"

"Perfect."

"The one with the bizarre digestive system?"

"Smelly."

"And how about your newest member? Are you and he getting along?"

My eyes narrowed slightly at the mention of Dylan, and I suddenly remembered where I was and who I was giving this information to. What had come over me?

"We're doing…great. Just peachy." I smiled a bit, trying to make it convincing.

Dr. Ferguson wrote some more. "Alright. Thank you very much, Maximum. It was a pleasure making your acquaintance." She nodded her head in farewell and took off.

_MAX!_ Angel shouted in my mind. I would swear it hurt my ears.

_What?_

_Where the hell are you?_

_HEY! Don't you use that tone with me! And watch your language! No nine-year-old of mine is gonna talk like that!_

_WHERE ARE YOU?_

I sighed. _I'm inside the School, Angel._

_Duh! But where inside?_

_How should I know? Where are you?_

_Outside the School._

Uh-oh. That couldn't be good. I didn't want Angel or anyone else to get captured trying to bust me out when I could spring myself from this joint.

_What are you doing here, Angel?_

_We're saving you._

_We? Who's with you?_

_Nudge, Dylan, Gaz, Iggs…oh, and Fang._

_FANG?_

_Yup. He's leading this rescue operation._

_HE'S LEADING _MY_ FLOCK!_

_Yeah. Okay, we'll be in soon. We're gonna find you, Max. Just sit tight._

_Sit tight? Are you kidding me?_

There was no answer. I could feel that Angel had left my mind.

"Ugh!" I grumbled. Stupid mind reader! I was definitely _not_ gonna "just sit tight" while they screwed themselves over.

I glanced over my left shoulder and then my right. None of the whitecoats seemed to be paying attention to me at all. I jumped down from my perch (ha-ha) on the counter. Almost instantly, the whitecoat nearest to me-his nametag read "Dr. Fabio"-looked up from whatever he was doing.

"Maximum," Dr. Fabio said. "We really need you to stay here. We won't keep you much longer."

"Just how long have I been here anyway?" I asked curiously.

"Six days," he mumbled before diving back into his research.

"Six days?" I repeated, shocked. Had they knocked me out, or poisoned me, or something? I couldn't remember being in the School that long. Six hours, yeah, sure. But six days?

I looked around myself with new eyes. I noticed that the whitecoats seemed to be moving much faster now that I wasn't sitting on the counter. My stomach growled. When was the last time I'd eaten?

I figured that they must have given me something. I wouldn't have answered all of Dr. Ferguson's questions otherwise. Could that same thing have also made me experience time differently?

I shook my head, trying to clear out the thoughts inside. My brain felt fuzzy, like a picture moving too fast for my eyes to keep up. I felt a tad dizzy. My stomach growled again. I realized that if I really had been at the School as long as the guy said, at least I wouldn't have to worry about the stomach flu anymore.

_Max? We're in._

_Lovely. Angel, would you mind telling me how long I've been gone?_

_A week. Why?_

A _week_? I thought to myself. Then I remembered my time with Sal, Daryl, and Bartholomew. There was the extra day.

_Max?_

_Oh, nothing._

_Okay. Do you have any idea yet where you are?_

_Nope._

I took a step forward. The guy who had spoken to me before glanced over, but didn't stop me.

I stepped forward again, this time with less hesitance. The whitecoats continued about their work. I jumped. No reaction. I shouted, "BOO!" At last, a few of them turned to look at me, confusion lacing their gazes. Good, I thought. They were beginning to seem as emotionless as Fang.

_I_ _see you, Max._

_Huh? Where are you? _

_To your left._

I looked to my left, trying to find a little blonde girl surrounded by a sea of impending trouble. I saw a blonde _head_, curls bobbing up and down.

"Hi, Max," Angel's head said.

"W-what?" They had definitely drugged me.

"They've got you in some sort of simulator. They're all down out here, and Nudge is trying to figure out the system. We don't know what exactly they were up to…"

"Weird," I mused. "Angel? Do you know if they've been feeding me?" I asked sheepishly.

She nodded. "Yeah, there's a chart out here for that. Don't worry, we'll have you out in no time."

"Okay."

Angel's head disappeared and it took her voice with it. Since it was, as she'd said, a simulation, I just plopped down on the floor. I wondered how long it would take Nudge to work out the system and get me out of here. So much for believing I could do it myself.

"Max," a voice said. I looked up and saw another head floating in the air. This time, it was Fang's.

"What?" I answered somewhat rudely.

"Are you okay?" he asked. I could almost hear the concern in his voice.

"Yeah. Why wouldn't I be?"

"Just making sure. Those guys…they didn't hurt you or anything, did they?"

I shook my head. "No. In fact, I had lots of fun with them."

"You wanted to get kidnapped, didn't you?" he accused.

"What makes you think that?" I grinned.

"Come on, Max. Those guys were idiots. They couldn't have captured a _rabbit_ if their lives depended on it."

I choked up a laugh. "I didn't exactly _want_ to get kidnapped, but it seemed like a good way to get away."

Fang sighed. "Geez, Max. You realize you scared us all half to death when we got that ransom call, right? You should've thought things through better."

"Well, sorry. But how was I supposed to know I'd end up getting re-kidnapped by the School?"

There was a buzz in the air and then the air around Fang's head shimmered. The whitecoats all disappeared. I heard a muffled voice and Fang turned toward its source. He nodded before looking back at me.

"Okay, now, I need you to stand up and walk very slowly towards me."

I stood up, watching him warily. I took one step toward him, followed by another and another, until Fang's face was only inches from mine. I tried to ignore the instinct I had to lean in farther, and close the last of the space between us.

"Now reach out your hands."

My hands were in the air around his face. His eyes closed and he shimmered with the air around him. It didn't seem…real. My hands touched him, or the image of him, and he sighed pleasantly. I was suddenly so relieved that he had come after me, come to get me out. I wouldn't have been able to screw up the simulation from the inside and get out like I'd planned. I could've starved.

But Fang had come to get me, come to help me.

Even when I'd completely rejected him.

"Max…" he whispered, his eyes slowly peeling open. In turn, my eyes closed and I closed the space between us. My lips only touched air. Fang chuckled lightly. "You seem to suddenly like me a lot more now that I'm a hologram."

My eyes opened and I glowered at him. I felt a blush creep up my cheeks. "What next?" My hands were still stretched out in front of me.

"Just close your eyes and walk forward. Walk for maybe five seconds and then open your eyes. You should be out."

I nodded. "Okay."

I followed his instructions precisely and when my eyes fluttered open, Fang's floating head was no longer in front of me. Instead, there was a door in the darkness. I opened it and stepped out into the light.

"Max!" Angel shouted and she bolted toward me. She threw her arms around my waist and hugged me tight. "You're alright."

"Yeah, sweetie." I looked around the room. "I'm alright." Then I got serious. I squatted down until my eyes met Angel's. "And if I ever hear you curse again, I will not hesitate to smack you upside the head. Understand?"

She nodded, her eyes on the floor.

In the room, I saw Nudge by what looked to be the center of all the complicated computer equipment. She smiled at me weakly. "Hey, Max." I smiled back.

All around the floor, bodies were scattered. Whitecoats. The ones Angel had mentioned. I recognized one of them as Dr. Ferguson, the whitecoat who had interrogated me.

I saw Gazzy and Iggy, dragging the bodies across the floor and piling them into one corner.

I caught a glimpse of Dylan just outside the room, standing guard at the door.

"Where is he?" I murmured to myself.

Angel knew who I was talking about, though. "He had to go into the next room to appear in the simulation. He should be back—"

"Thanks," I said to Angel, and then I skipped out past Dylan and let myself into the room next door. It was dimly lit. "Fang?" I called out. Even I was impressed that I had said his name without thinking to.

The door swung shut behind me. The light flickered above me.

I heard his whispered reply. "Max?" I searched for him, for his face, but I couldn't see him.

Then his arms were around me. Fang was suddenly everywhere. He was everything. He was the air around me, the air I was breathing into my lungs, the air that was keeping me alive. He was there with me.

Fang was with me.

"Thank God you're okay, Max," he murmured into my hair. His lips touched my temple. "Thank God."

I just let him hold me, knowing that I was enjoying it. I was sure he knew it, too.

* * *

AN: Sooo...Max just kinda made a fool of herself (cough) again. But at least she didn't screw herself over (cough) again.

Dear **PyschoticBlaze**, at first I wasn't sure where I could squeeze in Fabio, but then I remembered the previously nameless whitecoat, so I figured, What the hey?(:

SOMETHING TO CONTEMPLATE: Sequel, anyone?

Two chapters to post after this. It's been fun, guys.(:

REVIEWS are always nice, and much like the sleep I'm currently lacking. REVIEW?


	19. Admitting Defeat

AN: Despite what many of you seem to believe, things haven't been totally worked out just yet. Max and Fang still have a little ways to go. But Angel's getting impatient, so just read the chapter already.(:

* * *

The Battle of the Exes

Summary: Two years after Fang left, he's back, with his own flock, on Jeb's orders. Chaos ensues as Dylan fights for Max, Max wreaks havoc on Fang and his new 'girlfriend', and Fang attempts to execute his own plans without revealing his ulterior motive for returning.

**Chapter Nineteen: Admitting Defeat**

I sat on my bed, still unable to believe I'd been gone a whole week. I'd had my fill to eat, at last, and had gotten some real sleep. Daryl, Bob, and Bartholomew, being the decent kidnappers they were, had called every day to make sure I got home safe.

My mom had been overjoyed to see me, embracing me tightly. "What were you thinking!" she had shouted. Then, "Oh, I'm so glad you're okay…" She had threatened to ground me and never let me out of her sight again, but I knew she wasn't serious.

At least, I hoped so.

Then she had seen Fang and had hugged him, too. "Thank you so much, Fang! Thank you so much for bringing her back to me. I take back every bad thing I ever said about you." Which made me wonder just how many bad things my mother had said about Fang.

"Of course, Dr. Martinez. You know I did it for me just as much as I did it for you. I wouldn't have been able to live with myself if anything bad had happened to Max."

Everyone that had stayed at the house had been more or less glad to see me back in one piece. Even Izumi had attempted a smile upon seeing me.

Jeb had apparently stopped by when he'd said he would, and he was still there when I arrived. His eyes had crinkled with his smile and he'd patted my shoulder. "Well done, Max. Well done."

I'd had no idea what I'd done well, but I didn't really care. What mattered to me was that I was back in the only place that had every really felt like home with the only people who had ever really felt like home. Or, if I'm being completely, with the one person who had ever felt like home.

Fang.

That was the other thing. Everyone seemed to think that we had worked things out—which I guess we had—and was talking again. Nonstop.

Artemis and Nudge were delighted to be able to use their vocal cords again, even when it annoyed the rest of us to no end. Ella was glad to have Iggy back (in fact, I think she was happier to see him than she was to see me) and the two were always found together. Sometimes it was cute and sometimes it made me want to retch and squirm like I had the stomach flu all over again.

Izumi and Dylan had been seen by several flock members holding hands, cuddling, etc. Rumor had it that Nudge had even seen them kissing. Who would've thunk it? So while Dylan and I were getting along now, he and Izumi were getting along even better.

Pepin and Lux were much the same as they had been before I'd left. Though I did see Angel slap Lux a high-five, smiling wickedly. I also swore that I saw Pepin and the Gasman sneaking into the backyard late at night with some things that looked like they had the potential to be explosive. I'd have to keep a sharp eye on the troublemakers.

And then there was Fang. Something in me had changed in the time I'd been away from him. Something had become more willing, more accepting of him and what he'd done. I found that I wasn't angry anymore. In fact, I was almost ready to let him back in.

On my second night back, Angel came to find me.

"Hey, Max."

"Hi, Angel."

She said nothing for a few moments, and I didn't push on her. Then, "So are you ready?"

I was confused. "Ready for what?"

"Ready to admit defeat, of course."

That caught me off guard. I was never defeated!

"What are you talking about?" I demanded.

"Fang!"

"Oh."

"You still care about him, Max. A lot. More than I realized, actually. You love him. And he needs to know that."

In the time I'd been back, Fang and I had been civil with each other. Polite, but not like we were strangers. Friendly, but not like we'd known each other our whole lives. And we hadn't once raised our voices at each other, never once exchanged an unkind word.

We were healing.

I gulped, almost horrified at what I was about to say.

"I know."

Angel's blue eyes went wide as saucers. "Really?"

"Don't look at me like that, like I've gone mad! It's not helping."

"Sorry. But do you really mean it?"

"Yes, Angel, I really do mean it."

She grinned and squealed, but then she caught me. "Wait. That _does_ mean you'll do it, right? _Right_?"

I grimaced. Dang it.

She crossed her arms and looked at me like she was in charge. "Max…"

I crossed my arms and stood up, towering over her. "Angel…"

"You have to tell him! You just have to!"

I sighed and sank back down. "I know that, too."

"But you can't just know it! You have to actually _do_ it!"

"I know"—she gave me _that_ look—"I mean, I realize that."

"THEN DO IT!" Angel shouted in a voice that was much too big for her nine-year-old body.

"Sheesh, when did you get so bossy and insistent?" I complained.

"I learned from the best." She shot me a smile that let me know that by "the best," she meant me.

I sighed. "I will," I mumbled.

Angel's eyes lit up. "What did you say?"

"Nothing. Absolutely nothing."

"Aw, come on, Max! You said you will, I know you did!"

I glared at her.

"And you will, right?"

"Maybe," I said.

Angel's wings were suddenly out and she was hovering in the air, just high enough to be taller than me. "MAX! YOU _WILL_ TELL HIM!"

I almost winced. Damn, could she be _scary_.

"Okay," I squeaked feebly, ashamed of being afraid of a little girl that I had practically raised. It made me think that, if Angel wasn't even my flesh and blood, how would _my own_ kids turn out, if I ever had any?

She settled down. "Now, when are you gonna tell him?"

I decided to beat around the bush. "Why're you so eager, anyway? Two years ago you absolutely _hated_ that there was something going on between us. Now you're the one hooking us up!"

She grinned. "Yes, because two years ago, your guys' being together was screwing up the flock. Now your guys' being apart is screwing up the flock_s_. Back then, the solution was to get you guys apart. Now the solution is to get you guys back together."

I narrowed my eyes. "You are one messed up kid, you know that?"

"Yes, I do. Now. Back to the matter at hand. No more beating around the bush. When are you going to tell him? And you'd better answer right."

"You mean there's actually a right answer?"

"In this case, yes. Answer me."

"Um…soon?"

Angel slapped her forehead. "Ugh. Geez, Max, you are _impossible_! How does he put up with you?"

I opened my mouth to answer, but she put up a hand to stop me. "Shut up. It was rhetorical."

I shrugged. "Whatever. So are you gonna tell me the correct answer? Or do I get to keep guessing?"

"No. That would just waste more time. The correct answer is: you're gonna go tell him _right now_. Because at this moment, Fang is sitting on the back porch all by himself, thinking about what happened between you guys at the School."

"Huh?"

"Shut up. He's not sure whether or not it really happened. So you're going to go down there and tell him just exactly how you feel. _The truth_. And if it's anything but, I will personally do everything in my power to humiliate you beyond belief. _In front of him_."

Yeah, she was definitely scary. "At least you're not pointing a gun at me this time," I muttered.

"And don't make me have to. So _get down there_. The sun's gonna go down soon and you like to watch the sunsets anyway, from that exact seat on the back porch. It's perfect."

"Did you set this up?"

Angel glowered at me. "That doesn't matter. Get your butt down there _now_."

I sighed and got up. "Fine, Angel. I'm going." I walked away from her as slowly as I could manage.

"Faster, faster! You're not moving fast enough!"

I rolled my eyes. "I'll get there, Angel!"

And I did get there. The walk was a bit too fast for my liking, though. When I was facing the back door, I hesitated. I felt around in my pocket. I stared out the little window, looking at Fang. He looked beautiful in the fading light of the day, his elbows propped on his knees, his chin propped on his hands, his eyes watching the sun set.

My hand touched the doorknob and I turned it in my hand, praying that this would go right. I pulled the door back towards me slowly, trying to be as quiet as possible. If he heard me coming, he didn't acknowledge my presence in any way. He just kept his eyes straight ahead.

I closed the door behind me just as silently. I took two lithe steps toward the stairs and stopped before I sat down right next to him.

Fang still didn't seem to notice my presence, or even my existence.

* * *

AN: So next chapter's the last. O:

At the moment, it looks like I will be writing a sequel, with the tentative release date hovering around Christmas Eve. I have a good chunk of the outline done, but I have yet to begin the writing. Also, there's a poll on my profile about the sequel, if you would like to vote.(:

Okay, so if you're interested in a sequel, I suggest that you put me on Author Alert, so that you'll know when I post the first chapter, or that you just keep an eye on my stories. The title of the sequel is currently **The Battle's Just Begun**, and the summary is: **The flocks have been training for months now, and they're ready to face whatever the world throws at them. Or so they think. That's when Jeb drops the bomb: their mission. Things always change, and this is the sort of change Max hoped would never come. **Just keep in mind that both are subject to change.(:

REVIEWS are wonderful. And 400 doesn't seem too far. Besides, the next and last chapter is really good, I think. And quite long. Like, longer than the chapter before this. REVIEW?


	20. Say It Again and Mean It

AN: Oh, man, the time to post this came faster than I thought possible...

Yo, **booklover98**? I will forever love you for giving me review number FOUR HUNDRED!(:

The title for this, THE FINAL CHAPTER, was inspired by two different songs: "When it Rains" by Paramore, and "All I Ask of You" from Andrew Lloyd Webber's _The Phantom of the Opera_. I own neither, though I love both songs. Look 'em up, if you can, and enjoy the conclusion of **The Battle of the Exes**.

* * *

The Battle of the Exes

Summary: Two years after Fang left, he's back, with his own flock, on Jeb's orders. Chaos ensues as Dylan fights for Max, Max wreaks havoc on Fang and his new 'girlfriend', and Fang attempts to execute his own plans without revealing his ulterior motive for returning.

**Chapter Twenty: Say it Again and Mean it (That's All I Ask of You)**

The world looked so peaceful at that moment from my seat on the back steps. The wind serenaded the grass, enticing it, inviting it to dance. The trees swayed in time with the silently pulsing beat. The sun was alive and fading rapidly behind the trees, who almost seemed to be waving farewell to their friend, and sinking down into the earth. The breeze engulfed me, playing in my hair, waltzing across my skin. I didn't let my eyes close, instead breathing in the sweet air deeply.

The effortless cycle of nature. I, an abomination of nature, watching and enjoying the effortless cycle of nature with no concern whatsoever for the precisely controlled nature of science.

After a long while, I turned to face my fate. You see, I no longer had to wish for someone to share this incredible beauty with: my wish had already come true.

I looked at Fang, sitting quietly beside me. He seemed to recognize the serenity that I believed existed here, without even a word to tell him so. His dark eyes gazed forward, watching the sun go down. An ending to a day, a period of time. And an era of new beginnings, a time to start over.

For the first time since I'd claimed this spot as my own, I broke the silence, shattered the peacefulness.

"Fang?" I whispered into the fading light. I felt his name on my tongue, savored it there. I loved the taste. It was something I had missed dearly.

Slowly, his eye turned to mine, his face moving only a few degrees. "Max," he answered.

I smiled at him, hoping that maybe I could relay to him my feelings in that one action, though I somehow knew it wouldn't be enough.

His eyes just looked, remaining emotionless. He didn't smile back.

Something was wrong.

"What is it, Fang?" I'd just said his name again, surprising myself with how easy it was to say it.

He finally turned completely, looking right at me. "What happened, Max? I'm so…confused after what happened with us at the School and then we got back here and…nothing."

I wanted to reach out to him like I had just days before. "I'm sorry, Fang. I've just been trying to get my mind in order, and work out all the nonsense in my head. But I know that I don't regret what happened at the School with us, or anything that ever happened with us."

"You don't regret it, but are you willing to do something about it?"

"Yes! That's why I'm here now! Fang, you need to know how I feel, and I actually want to _tell_ you, too."

He smiled, that half-smile I remembered so well. I nearly melted. "Why do you keep saying my name? Every time you speak, you throw it in there somewhere. Why?"

I shrugged, trying not to blush, though I suspected that that effort was fruitless. "I don't know. Maybe because I haven't really said it in so long—haven't wanted to say it in so long—I'm saying it more now."

He didn't say anything, but it looked like he was expecting me to say something more. When I didn't, he continued, "Oh, you missed that time."

"Huh?"

"And that time. You didn't say my name."

"Did you want me to?"

"I certainly don't mind it. In fact, I quite like it."

"You do, do you?"

"Yeah, Max. When you say my name, it's just like a…a spark inside me, or something. I don't know."

I grinned. "Like a spark," I repeated. "Really?"

"Yeah. With you I feel…alive. And I like to feel alive."

"Fang? I came down here today to tell you something. And I don't want to take forever and a half getting to it. I've wasted enough time hiding my feelings."

"Okay." He gestured grandly at me, smiling. "You have the floor. But I have some things to say, too." He winked mischievously.

I giggled, then blushed. This guy was making me lose my mind! But…it was kind of nice to not have to think for once. And so, I took a deep breath and I began to say the words that would change my life.

There was no turning back.

[[(/*\)]}

Fang's eyes watched Max's lips form words. The words floated into his head and he understood them, even responded to them. But he was distracted, absolutely fascinated with her beauty, amazed that she didn't see it and that he had never taken the time to drink it all in. The fading sunlight made a halo in her hair and highlighted her eyelashes. Then, he tuned in completely.

"…I've wasted enough time hiding my feelings."

He smiled. "Okay." He waved his hands at her. "You have the floor. But I have some things to say, too." Fang winked at Max.

Her cheeks went red and a little laugh trilled from her lips. Fang loved the sound of her laugh. Then, she took a deep breath and readied herself for whatever was going to happen.

"I've missed you, Fang," she began. "I really have. I never wanted to admit it. But I did." She reached into her pocket, her fingers wrapping around something. "Eventually, I stopped crying over it and I got angry. Horribly infuriated at you and what you did. When I learned that you were coming back, I was kind of torn between taking you into my arms and rejecting you with every fiber of my being. Mostly, I tried to push you away, tried to get my revenge. I wanted to hurt you so bad. And I think I succeeded." Max glanced up at Fang sheepishly. "And I'm sorry. That's something I do regret."

"It's okay," Fang told her. "I'm sure I deserved it, after the jerk I'd been. I shouldn't have done what I did, and I wouldn't have if I'd have known what it would do to you."

She grinned. "I'm not done. When you were gone, I would crave your presence when I was feeling lonely. But then when you came back, I tried to forget you and what you had meant to me. I burned what you had left behind, the things I'd decided to keep. And I was burning this"—she pulled her hand out of her pocket, showing Fang what was in her hand. It was the letter he had written to her, the very last thing he had done before he left—"and then I just couldn't. I pulled it out of the fire. I was stopped because I saw what you had said, just a little bit. 'I love you.' And I wondered if anyone would every say that to me again, say it and mean it."

He stroked her cheek. "I don't see how it wouldn't happen."

Max blushed again at his flattering words. "Ahem. As I was saying, that sobered me up a bit. I did keep trying to fight you off, trying to deny that there was still something. And then when I was sick and nobody was talking, except you and me, I realized how easy it was to be around you. How I could just sink back into what we had. And I liked it. And I was getting sick of fighting anyway. Surprisingly, it was Izumi who convinced me in the end. She said a lot of things that got my brain juices moving. That's why I left, because I had to think things over."

"And did you?"

"Yeah. And then Bob, Daryl, and Bart said some stuff, too. And you came to rescue me. I was going to get out of there myself, but now I know that that would've been impossible. Then when I saw you, I was just…I don't know. I just knew I couldn't fight anymore."

"Well, I'm glad you decided not to." Fang grinned at her. "Is it my turn yet?"

Max thought over his question for a moment. "Yeah, I guess so."

"Okay. So you know why I left, right?"

"More or less," Max replied.

"Jeb and Dylan convinced me that, because I was being hunted, it wouldn't be safe for you to be around me. And I was stupid enough to believe them. It turned out that, while the School was after me, it actually wasn't for some horribly inhumane reason. It was basically the same as what happened with you: they stuck me in a simulator and asked me a bunch of questions. It felt like only a few hours, but it was actually about a week. The thing was, though, they let me go after that time, and I took Pepin with me. But with you, I was scared. You're like their prized creation, and I wasn't sure that they would let go so easily. That's why when Angel said the whitecoats had taken you, we just went straight after them. I didn't want to lose you again."

Max smirked. "Well you're in a talkative mood today, aren't you?"

Fang chuckled lightly and continued. "I didn't want to leave, Max. It was the hardest thing I've ever done. But I didn't want to watch you die because of me either. That's why I did it." He picked up her hand and tangled his fingers in hers. "You're also why I came back. It was hurting me to be away from you."

"I know what you mean."

"I know you do. I remember it."

Max's face became a mask of bewilderment. "What do you mean?"

Without removing his eyes from her, Fang reached into his pocket and pulled out something of hers, something he had given her in another time, when all had been well in their world.

Max gasped. "My ring! But…how?"

Fang smiled, slipping it onto her right ring finger. The birthstone glistened in the light. "I saw you that day. I'd never seen you more angry. You could've terrified every criminal on the face of the earth to death with that look."

"You were here?" she said slowly. "You were here, and you didn't say anything?"

Fang nodded. "Yeah. It was hard to let go, and so sometimes I would just sit in the trees and try to pretend that I was still a significant part of your lives. I remember that it had been raining and I just had nowhere else to go. I sat out here the whole night and was shivering for weeks after. I heard you scream and then the door flew open. You screamed again and I realized that you were crying. Then you ripped the ring off your finger and threw it into the backyard. You stayed outside for maybe an hour, just lying there, in the mud. It took everything in me to not go to you then and try to comfort you."

She smirked. "It's probably better that you didn't. Like you said, I was angry. I probably would've thrown you all the way to Africa."

"I don't doubt it. But after your mom called you in, I went to where I'd seen the ring land. And I took it with me. I've always had it since then. I just didn't know if you'd ever take it back."

She nodded vigorously. "I will. And I won't chuck it anywhere this time."

Fang kissed her forehead. "I came back here to win you over, you know? I still care about you, and I'm sick of not having you with me. I know that I have my own flock, my own responsibilities, now, but everyone seems to get along great. I don't think they'd mind if we stayed in the neighborhood."

"And now we get along, too."

"I would hope so."

Max couldn't stop herself any longer then; she just had to. In the dimming light of the sun, she closed the last of the space between herself and Fang, kissing his lips gently, briefly.

"I'm sorry, Fang. I'm sorry I was such a jerk," she whispered, falling into his endlessly hypnotic eyes.

"I'm sorry, too, Max. So sorry."

"You should be," Max snickered, slapping Fang's arm playfully. "Not only did you make me fall for you once, you made me fall for you _twice_."

"Well you've kept me falling for years," Fang whispered, kissing her.

"Is that so? And you haven't gotten sick of me yet?" she asked sarcastically.

"No, Max. I could never get sick of you. You're smart, you're funny, you're bossy, you're scary, you're beautiful, you're amazing, you're defiant, you're stubborn, you're incredible, you're…indescribable."

Max laughed as Fang kissed her cheek. "Well that's a mouthful."

"And I mean it. Max…"

She looked at him earnestly. "Yes, Fang?"

"I…"

She put her hand on his mouth, stopping him. "Wait just a moment. The sun's almost gone." Max's eyes drifted toward the horizon. Fang's followed and he could see why she was so in love with the sight. The glowing orb that was their sun was sinking into the ground, now much faster than before. It left in its wake a flurry of colors mixing in the sky. The clouds turned varying shades of pink and purple, crimson and azure. The sun twinkled at them, saying good-bye until the next morning. Max watched with glowing eyes, completely enthralled. Fang glanced over at her and smiled at the look of fascination on her face. She reflected the sunset in her magnificence. Both were dazzlingly gorgeous.

When the last of the sunlight was drowned, gone, Max turned back to Fang. He opened his mouth to continue what he had been saying, but her lips hushed him.

"Shh," she whispered against his flesh. Pulling back, she found his eyes. "Fang, I love you."

Fang wanted to shout for joy. She really did love him. He'd been right!

His lips caught hers and he kissed her again, savoring the taste. It was so good to feel alive again. He never wanted the feeling to end.

But he had to tell her.

"I love you, Max," he whispered into the darkness. "And I won't lose you again."

"Well that's good. Because I don't intend to lose you."

"I'm not going anywhere."

Before Fang could kiss her again, Max said, "Are you sure of that this time?"

"Yes. Definitely. I plan to stay in the neighborhood for a _long_ time. A long, long time. If you'll have me."

"That's all I ask of you. And I will have you, for that long, long time."

"I hoped you would. Do you think your mom would mind if I stuck around?"

"I don't know if there's much she can say about it. Everyone in this house seems to be hooking up lately. Maybe she'll quit the vet thing and become a matchmaker."

The two of them laughed and then Fang stood up. "Do you want to lie in the grass? We could look at the stars," he suggested.

Smiling, Max said, "Sure."

And so, side-by-side, they lied down in the backyard, pointing at the different stars they knew, chortling occasionally just because they felt like it, and because they were happy.

Fang rolled over, hovering just above Max. "Hello, beautiful," he murmured.

"Hey, you're blocking my view of the stars." She playfully pushed at his chest, her hands staying there, because she didn't really want him to move.

"But I'm too busy looking at the ones in your eyes."

Max laughed out loud. "Wow, that is so corny."

Fang flashed her his lopsided grin. "I know."

And then Fang brought himself down to Max slowly, careful not to hurt her. Max got impatient though, and tugged on his shirt roughly. Fang's hand brushed Max's cheek. She sighed, smiling at him. "Thank you for coming back," she said to him.

"I'll never regret it," he replied and then he pressed his lips to hers.

{[(/*\)]}

Angel beckoned to the others. "Come on! Hurry!"

Iggy and Dylan lugged the bucket over. "Geez, that's a lot of water," Gazzy mumbled. Pepin nodded in agreement

"Okay, everything's all good between them now. They're just lying in the grass and…oh, wow, yeah, now their making out again," Angel relayed.

Lux clapped her hands gleefully. "But it worked, right? They're back together?"

Angel nodded. "Yup."

Nudge poked her head out the window, her hand in Artemis's. "They're, like, right below us. It's too perfect!"

"Good thing on Angel's part that she gave Fang the idea to lie in the grass. Otherwise they would've stayed on the porch," Artemis said to her.

Izumi smiled slyly. "I'm just glad we finally get a slice of revenge after all of this battling."

Ella went to stand by Nudge, looking down. "Aw, it's so cute. Almost a shame we're doing this."

Iggy looked at her quizzically. "Are you backing down?"

She snorted. "Hell, no! Bring over the bucket!"

Artemis went to help Dylan. "It _is_ heavy," he commented. "Are you sure this is ordinary water? Feels like _rocks_."

Dylan snickered. "Straight from the tap, kiddo. And Dr. M didn't even notice."

"She will when she gets the water bill," Pepin muttered, smiling. He had managed to open up to his new family, and it turned out he had quite a bit to say.

Angel turned to Ella. Iggy had moved to stand behind her, his hands on her shoulders. "Would you guys like the honors?" she asked mischievously.

Ella grinned wickedly and Iggy did, too. "If you mean shouting at them, then definitely."

Dylan and Artemis got the bucket up on the window sill, ready for their cue. "Ready when you guys are," Dylan said.

Ella peeked out. "Oh, man, they're _still_ going at it."

"And they complain about us?" Iggy scoffed.

Izumi pushed herself up to one of the other windows. "You guys are _so_ not doing this without me watching. I want to see everything that happens."

Dylan grinned at her. "I love it when you talk evil."

She winked at him. "Good."

Angel and Lux peered over the edge of the window. Max and Fang were in just the right spot and completely distracted. Angel smirked. This was going to be sweet, just like revenge always was.

"Okay," Lux said. "So Iggy and Ella go first, and then it rains."

"And when it rains, it pours," Izzy added, looking down below. "You know, I always thought that I'd be jealous if I saw Fang with another girl. But now…I don't know, it just seems right."

"Probably 'cause you're with another guy," Ella remarked.

"True." Izzy looked over at Dylan. "And I'm glad I am."

Dylan beamed. At least he hadn't really had to chase after _this_ girl. And even if Max was his perfect other half, Izumi was all he wanted. And he felt some satisfaction in defying the rules.

"Can we go yet?" Iggy asked eagerly.

"Yeah, this bucket's getting awfully heavy," Artemis said. "Heavi_er_, I mean."

Angel looked again. Max and Fang were still thoroughly distracted by each other.

"Yeah. Max, then Fang, 'kay? On three…"

Everyone counted along with her, careful to not be too loud. "One…two…three!"

Then, together, Iggy and Ella stuck their heads out the window, their hands clasped, and bellowed, "MAX! FANG! QUIT SUCKING FACE!"

Max and Fang jumped up and apart, embarrassed. They saw both their flocks, united, peering down at them from the upstairs windows. And then, before they could reprimand them, a cascade of water fell on them both, drenching them to the bone.

"ANGEL!" Fang and Max yelled in unison, knowing that she'd been the little devil who'd engineered this all.

The screaming caught the attention of Jeb and Valencia inside. They dashed out the back door and absorbed the scene. Max and Fang, standing next to each other, dripping wet. Their two flocks, jeering at them from the windows. The shouted words. And it all clicked.

Jeb chuckled and Dr. Martinez grinned. "I guess it all worked out," she said.

He replied, "Yup. See, I told you they could all work together. They just needed some time, the ideal circumstances, and the right leader."

"I guess so. But who would've thought they would work together to pull a prank on their leaders under _Angel's_ direction?"

"The world is full of surprises, Val. Lots and lots of surprises…"

"Indeed. Max, Fang, why don't you guys come on in? I'll get you guys some towels to dry off."

Max nodded and she and Fang walked onto the porch, shivering in the cold night air. Jeb looked at them and his eyes crinkled when he smiled.

"I knew you guys would figure things out," he said. "But Max, if I may ask, why not choose the one who's perfect?"

Max smiled and glanced at Fang. His hand was on her back, and where it felt impossibly warm, considering that she was soaked. "Because. It's the flaws that make a person perfect."

Fang grinned and kissed her cheek. "I promise I'll take good care of her," he assured Jeb.

"I know you will, son. And personally, Max, I'm glad you picked Fang. Someone who falls in love with you of his own accord is, I think, far more reliable than someone who was forced to fall in love with you." Jeb clapped a hand on Fang's shoulder. "And I know you'll protect her in what's coming, Fang. Her, her flock, and your own flock. You care about them all."

Fang nodded.

Max's nose crinkled. "Speaking of what's coming, Jeb, you have yet to clarify that. What exactly _is _coming?"

Jeb chuckled. "You'll see, Max. You'll see. All in good time…"

THE END.

* * *

AN: See? This is why there will be a sequel. Remember: **The Battle's Just Begun**. Christmas Eve. Author Alert me if you're interested in reading it. No sneak peeks...I have to actually write it now...

Also, it is at last December, and I finished November with more than FIFTY THOUSAND (50,000) words of my novel written. I would like to thank you guys for your patience, and also for helping me name my protagonist.(: If you remember, at the end of Chapter Twelve, I asked you guys to tell me your preference between the names ALEXANDER and ALEXZANDER. The trippy "Z" won by three votes in all, and also enabled me to nickname my character Z. Alexzander thanks you as well, as he likes his name very much. But...he doesn't like me very much...(x

Please REVIEW. It's guaranteed to put a smile on my face.


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